Method and apparatus for delivering a substance to an individual

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, detecting, by a substance delivery system coupled to a body part of an individual, an input signal not associated with a biological measurement of the individual, determining from the input signal, by the substance delivery system, whether delivering a dosage of a substance stored in the substance delivery system is needed and conforms to a dosage policy, and responsive to determining from the input signal that delivery of the dosage of the substance is needed and conforms to the dosage policy, initiating, by the substance delivery system, delivery of the dosage of the substance to the body part of the individual. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for deliveringsubstances that affect a biological condition of an individual.

BACKGROUND

Biological sensors can be used for measuring temperature, respiration,pulse rate, blood pressure, among other things. Some biological sensorscan be implanted and can be configured to be battery-less. Battery-lesssensors can utilize one or more antennas to receive radio frequencysignals, and which can be converted to energy that powers components ofthe sensor while the radio frequency signals are present. Somebiological sensors can also be configured to deliver dosages of acontrolled substance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodimentsfor placing sensors on a patient in accordance with various aspects ofthe subject disclosure described herein;

FIGS. 2A-2B are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments for managing use of one or more sensors of a patient inaccordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure describedherein;

FIGS. 2C-2D are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments of a top view and side view of a biological sensor inaccordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure describedherein;

FIG. 2E is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a removable component of a biological sensor in accordancewith various aspects of the subject disclosure described herein;

FIGS. 2F-2I are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments for removing and decommissioning a biological sensor inaccordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure describedherein;

FIG. 2J is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a method for decommissioning a biological sensor inaccordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure describedherein;

FIG. 2K is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a method for decommissioning a biological sensor inaccordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure describedherein;

FIG. 2L is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a biological sensor in accordance with various aspects ofthe subject disclosure described herein;

FIGS. 2M-2P are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments of devices communicatively coupled to a biological sensor inaccordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure describedherein;

FIG. 2Q is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a method for initiating a timed event, procedure,treatment and/or process in accordance with various aspects of thesubject disclosure described herein;

FIGS. 3A-3F are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments of a system for managing sensor data in accordance withvarious aspects of the subject disclosure described herein;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a biological sensor in accordance with various aspects ofthe subject disclosure described herein;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a computing device in accordance with various aspects ofthe subject disclosure described herein;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a method in accordance with various aspects of the subjectdisclosure described herein;

FIGS. 7A-7B are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments of plots of sensor data of a plurality of patients inaccordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure describedherein;

FIGS. 7C-7D are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments of thresholds used for monitoring biological conditions ofthe plurality of patients of FIGS. 7A-7B in accordance with variousaspects of the subject disclosure described herein; and

FIG. 8A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a method for monitoring a plurality of biological statesin accordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure describedherein;

FIGS. 8B-8E are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limitingembodiments for coupling sensors to body parts in accordance withvarious aspects of the subject disclosure described herein;

FIG. 8F is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a method for drug or other substance delivery inaccordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure describedherein;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods of thesubject disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for managing sensor data and usage of sensors generating thesensor data. Other embodiments are described in the subject disclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a machine-readablestorage medium, including executable instructions that, when executed bya processor, facilitate performance of operations. The operations caninclude detecting an input signal by a sensing device coupled to a bodypart of an individual, the input signal not being associated with abiological measurement of the individual. The operations can alsoinclude determining from the input signal whether to deliver to the bodypart of the individual a dosage of a substance stored in a microfluidicsystem of the sensing device, and whether delivering the dosagesatisfies a dosage policy. Responsive to determining from the inputsignal that delivery of the dosage of the substance is needed andsatisfies the dosage policy, the operations can further includeinitiating, by the microfluidic system, delivery of the dosage of thesubstance to the body part of the individual, obtaining, by the sensingdevice, sensing data associated with a biological measurement of theindividual, and determining from the biological measurement whether thedosage has improved a biological condition of the individual adjustableby the dosage.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a method fordetecting, by a substance delivery system coupled to a body part of anindividual, an input signal not associated with a biological measurementof the individual, determining from the input signal, by the substancedelivery system, whether delivering a dosage of a substance stored inthe substance delivery system is needed and conforms to a dosage policy,and responsive to determining from the input signal that delivery of thedosage of the substance is needed and whether the dosage conforms to thedosage policy, initiating, by the substance delivery system, delivery ofthe dosage of the substance to the body part of the individual.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a system having aprocessor, and memory that stores executable instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, facilitate performance of operations. Theoperations can include receiving a signal from a device coupled to abody part of an individual, wherein the signal is not associated with abiological state of the individual, determining from the signal whetherdelivering a dosage of a substance stored in the device is needed andwhether the dosage exceeds a dosage threshold, and responsive todetermining from the signal that delivery of the dosage of the substancedoes not exceed the dosage threshold, directing the device to initiatedelivery of the dosage of the substance to the body part of theindividual.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a block diagram illustrating example,non-limiting embodiments for placing biological sensors 102 on a patient100 in accordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure isshown. FIG. 1 depicts a number of non-limiting illustrations oflocations where biological sensors 102 can be placed on a patient 100.For example, biological sensors 102 can be placed on a patient'sforehead, chest, abdomen, arms, hands, front or rear section of a thigh,behind an ear, on a side of an arm, neck, back, or calves as illustratedin FIG. 1. Other locations for placement of biological sensors 102 arepossible and contemplated by the subject disclosure.

The biological sensors 102 can be placed or managed by a nurse 101 asshown in FIGS. 2A-2B. A nurse 101 can, for example, place a biologicalsensor 102 on the patient 100 as depicted in FIG. 2A and manage use ofthe biological sensor 102 with a computing device 202 such as atouch-screen tablet as depicted in FIG. 2B. The computing device 202 canalso be represented by a smartphone, a laptop computer, or othersuitable computing devices. The computing device 202 can becommunicatively coupled to the biological sensor 102 by a wirelessinterface, such as, near field communications (NFC) having, for example,a range of 1-12 inches from the biological sensor 102, Bluetooth®,ZigBee®, WiFi, or other suitable short range wireless technology.Alternatively, the computing device 202 can be communicatively coupledto the biological sensor 102 by a wired interface or tethered interface(e.g., a USB cable).

Biological sensors 102 can be placed on an outer surface of a skin ofthe patient 100 with an adhesive, or can be implanted in the patient100. Although the patient 100 is shown to be a human patient, a patient100 can also be represented by a non-human species (e.g., a dog, a cat,a horse, cattle, a tiger, etc.) or any other type of biological organismwhich can use a biological sensor 102. Biological sensors 102 can beused for a number of functions such as, for example, electrocardiogrammeasurements, measuring temperature, perspiration, pulse rate, bloodpressure, respiration rate, glucose levels in blood, peripheralcapillary oxygen saturation (SpO2), and other measurable biologicalfunctions contemplated by the subject disclosure.

The biological sensors 102 can also be adapted to store measurements,compare measurements to biological markers to detect a biologicalcondition, and to report such measurements and detected conditions.Biological sensors 102 are, however, not limited to monitoringapplications. For example, biological sensors 102 can also be adapted todeliver controlled dosages of medication using, for example,micro-needles. Such sensors can also perform measurements to monitor abiological response by the patient 100 to the medication delivered,record and report measurements, frequency of dosages, amount of dosagedelivered, and so on. The reports can also include temporal data such asday, month, year, time when measurement was performed and/or time whenmedication was delivered.

Now turning to FIGS. 2C-2D, block diagrams illustrating example,non-limiting embodiments of a top view and side view of a biologicalsensor 102 in accordance with various aspects of the subject disclosuredescribed herein are shown. FIG. 2C illustrates a non-limitingembodiment of a top view of the biological sensor 102. FIG. 2Dillustrates a non-limiting embodiment of a side view of the biologicalsensor 102 that supplements the illustrations of FIG. 2C. The biologicalsensor 102 can comprise a circuit 216 disposed on a top surface 211 of afirst substrate 212. The circuit 216 and the first substrate 212 cancomprise a single layer or multilayer flexible printed circuit boardthat electrically interconnects circuit components (not shown) of thecircuit 216 using conductive traces and vias on a flexible substratesuch as a polyimide substrate or other suitable flexible substratetechnology. It will be appreciated that electrical components of thecircuit 216 can also be disposed on a bottom surface 213 of thebiological sensor 102.

The biological sensor 102 can further comprise a second substrate 218that adhesively couples to a bottom surface 213 of the first substrate212. In one embodiment, an adhesive layer 222 can be positioned near anouter edge of the second substrate 218. The adhesive layer 222 can beused to bind the second substrate 218 to the bottom surface 213 of thefirst substrate 212. One or more components of the biological sensor 102can be disposed on a top surface 217 or bottom surface 219 of the secondsubstrate 218. For example, an antenna 224 of the biological sensor 102such as shown in FIG. 2E (shown also with ghosted lines in FIG. 2C) canbe disposed on the top surface 217 of the second substrate 218. Theantenna 224 can be used for wireless communications between thebiological sensor 102 and other communication devices. Other componentsof the biological sensor 102 can be disposed on the second substrate 218in place of or in combination with the antenna 224. For example, atransmitter, a power supply system, and/or a processor can be disposedon the top surface 217 or bottom surface 219 in place of or incombination with the antenna 224. The second substrate 218 and theantenna 224 disposed thereon can also be constructed using flexibleprinted circuit board technology similar to or identical to the flexibleprinted circuit board technology used for constructing the firstsubstrate 212 and circuit 216 disposed thereon.

To enable electrical connectivity between the antenna 224 and thecircuit 216, a conductive material 226 can be disposed on first andsecond feed points of the antenna 224. The conductive material 226 (suchas a metal contact) can be configured to make contact with first andsecond conductive pads 229 disposed on the bottom surface 213 of thefirst substrate 212. The first and second conductive pads 229 can beelectrically connected to first and second conductive vias 228. Thecombination of the first and second conductive pads 229 and the firstand second conductive vias 228 provide the first and second feed pointsof the antenna 224 electrical conductivity to one or more circuitcomponents (e.g., transmitter and receiver) included in the circuit 216.In an embodiment, the conductive material 226 of the first and secondfeed points can be configured so that it does not permanently adhered tothe conductive pads 229 with solder or some other material withadherence properties.

To achieve electrical contact, an adhesive material 230 can be used at acenter point (or at one or more other locations) of the second substrate218 to cause the conductive material 226 to make electrical contact withthe first and second conductive pads 229 by pressure (without adhesion).An adhesive layer 222 can also be used to maintain a stable positionbetween the second substrate 218 and the first substrate 212 to avoidmisaligning the conductive material 226 from the first and secondconductive pads 229. The adhesive interconnectivity between the firstand second substrates 212 and 218, respectively, provides an initialconfiguration in which the biological sensor 102 is in the form of asingle unit prior to being placed on a skin surface 236 of a patient100.

The biological sensor 102 can further comprise an adhesive layer 214disposed on the bottom surface 213 of the first substrate 212 thatsurrounds an outer edge of the first substrate 212. Similarly, anadhesive layer 220 can be disposed on the bottom surface 219 of thefirst substrate 212 that surrounds an outer edge of the second substrate218. Prior to placing the biological sensor 102 on a patient 100, aremovable cover (not shown) can be coupled to the adhesive layers 214and 220 to prevent exposing the adhesive layers 214 and 220 while thebiological sensor 102 is in storage. The removable cover can bestructurally configured with a smooth surface that reduces adherence tothe adhesive layers 214 and 220, and thereby prevents damaging theadhesive properties of the adhesive layers 214 and 220 when the cover isremoved. The removable cover can be further configured to extendoutwardly from the adhesive layer 214 or it can include selectable tabto enable ease of removal of the cover from the biological sensor 102 inpreparation for its use. The biological sensor 102 with an attachedremovable cover can be placed in a sealed package for storage purposes.In anticipation of the discussions that follow, it will be appreciatedthat the biological sensor 102 can include some or all of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 4, and can perform the operations described below.

Now turning to FIG. 2J, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a method 240 for decommissioning thebiological sensor 102 of FIGS. 2C-2D in accordance with various aspectsof the subject disclosure described herein is shown. Method 240 will bedescribed in view of FIGS. 2F-2I. Method 240 can begin with step 242whereby a biological sensor 102 is placed on a patient 100 as shown inFIGS. 2A-2B. When a clinician (such as a nurse 101) is prepared toutilize the biological sensor 102, the sealed package holding thebiological sensor 102 can be manually torn, and the cover can be removedthereby exposing adhesive layers 214 and 220. The clinician can thenplace the biological sensor 102 on the skin 236 of the patient 100. Upondoing so, the skin 236 of the patient 100 adheres to the adhesive layer214 of the first substrate 212 and the adhesive layer 220 of the secondsubstrate 218.

At a later time (e.g., minutes, hours, days or weeks later), theclinician can determine at step 244 whether it is time to remove thebiological sensor 102. The first substrate 212 can comprise a tab 234that does not adhere to the skin 236. At step 246, the tab 234 can beselected and pulled by the clinician to remove the biological sensor 102when the clinician deems at step 244 that the biological sensor 102 isno longer to be used. The adhesive layers 222 and 220 can be configuredso that the adhesive force between the bottom surface 213 of the firstsubstrate 212 and the top surface 217 of the second substrate 218 issubstantially weaker than the adhesive force between the skin 236 andthe bottom surface 219 of the second substrate 218.

A disparity in bonding forces can be accomplished by configuring theadhesive layer 220 so that it is wider than the adhesive layer 222(e.g., 2:1) and/or by utilizing an adhesive material for the adhesivelayer 220 that has a substantially stronger bonding force than a bondingforce created by the adhesive material of the adhesive layer 222.Consequently, when the clinician pulls tab 234 with sufficient force,the bond between the second substrate 218 and the first substrate 212breaks enabling removal of the first substrate 212 from the secondsubstrate 218, while the second substrate 218 remains bonded to the skin236 of the patient 100 as shown in FIGS. 2F-2G.

By separating the first substrate 212 from the second substrate 218, thebiological sensor 102 is permanently decommissioned since the biologicalsensor 102 can no longer transmit wireless signals to othercommunication devices as a result of the antenna 224 (that remains onthe second substrate 218) no longer making electrical contact with thecircuit 216 of the first substrate 212. To complete the removal processof the biological sensor 102, the clinician can pull tab 232 of thesecond substrate 218 at step 248, which is also not bonded to the skin236, thereby removing the remaining portion of the biological sensor 102as shown in FIGS. 2H-2I. According to FIGS. 2F-2I the biological sensor102 can be decommissioned by a clinician in a two-step approach.

It will be appreciated that the biological sensor 102, illustrated inFIGS. 2C-2D, can be modified or otherwise adapted with other embodimentsthat enable decommissioning of the biological sensor 102 in a mannersimilar to the steps illustrated in FIGS. 2F-2I. For example, theconductive materials 226 of the antenna 224 can be weakly bonded toconductive pads 229 with solder instead of relying on pressure contact.In this embodiment, the adhesive material 230 may no longer be required.The adhesive layer 220 can be configured to adhere to the skin 236 ofthe patient 100 such that it exceeds a force to break the solder jointbetween the conductive materials 226 and the conductive pads 229.

In yet another embodiment, the second substrate 218 can include acomponent that inductively couples to the circuit 216 of the firstsubstrate 212. In this embodiment, electrical physical contact betweenthe component and the circuit 216 is not required. If the component inthe second substrate 218 is required to maintain operations of thebiological sensor 102, then the biological sensor 102 will bedecommissioned when the first substrate 212 of the biological sensor 102is removed from the patient 100 (as illustrated in FIGS. 2F-2G), whichin turn removes the inductive coupling between the circuit 216 of thefirst substrate 212 and the component of the second substrate 218. Itwill be appreciated that any circuit component required to operate thebiological sensor 102 can be disposed on the second substrate 218 forpurposes of decommissioning the biological sensor 102 when it is removedfrom the patient 100 as shown in FIGS. 2F-2I.

The subject disclosure therefore contemplates modifications to theforegoing embodiments of the biological sensor 102 that enables removal,damage or other form of modification to one or more components of thebiological sensor 102, which can serve to decommission the biologicalsensor 102 when a clinician removes the biological sensor 102 from theskin 236 of a patient 100. Such a decommissioning process can helpprevent inadvertent reuse, overuse or misuse of the biological sensor102.

Now turning to FIG. 2K, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a method 250 for decommissioning a biologicalsensor 102 in accordance with various aspects of the subject disclosuredescribed herein is shown. Method 250 can be used as an alternativeembodiment to method 240. Particularly, method 250 can be used ininstances where physical removal of the biological sensor 102 from theskin 236 of patient 100 does not result in a decommissioning of thebiological sensor 102. With this in mind, method 250 can begin at step252 where a clinician places a biological sensor 102 on a patient 100 asshown in FIGS. 2A-2B. The clinician can enable the biological sensor 102at step 254 utilizing the computing device 202 shown in FIG. 2B, asensor management system 304 shown in FIG. 3A, or other sensormanagement techniques, which are described below in accordance with theflowchart illustrated in FIG. 6. For illustration purposes only, it willbe assumed that the biological sensor 102 is being managed by thecomputing device 202 and/or the sensor management system 304. Otherembodiments are disclosed.

Once the biological sensor 102 is enabled, the computing device 202 orsensor management system 304 can receive data from the biological sensor102. At step 257, the computing device 202 or sensor management system304 can be configured to determine from the data whether the biologicalsensor 102 is no longer in use. For example, the data received from thebiological sensor 102 can be motion sensor data generated by a motionsensor 418 shown in FIG. 4 described below. Motion sensor data canindicate that the biological sensor has been stationary for a period oftime (e.g., 1 hour or more) which may indicate that the biologicalsensor 102 is no longer being used by the patient 100.

The data can further include biological sensor data such as thepatient's pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature, and/or otherbiological sensing data generated by one or more sensors 410 of thebiological sensor 102 (shown in FIG. 4 and described below). If, forexample, the biological sensor data is devoid of biological sensorreadings (e.g., no pulse or blood pressure), a determination can be madethat the biological sensor 102 is no longer in use. Similarly, ifbiological sensor data does not correspond to an expected range of thepatient 100 (e.g., temperature reading received is room temperature asopposed to body temperature), then similarly a determination can be madethat the biological sensor 102 is no longer in use. The computing device202 or sensor management system 304 can analyze a single aspect or acombination aspects of the data it receives at step 256 to make adetermination at step 257 whether the biological sensor 102 is in use.

If a determination is made that the biological sensor 102 continues tobe in use by the patient 100, the computing device 202 or sensormanagement system 304 can proceed to step 256 to continue monitoringdata it receives from the biological sensor 102. If, on the other hand,a determination is made that the biological sensor 102 is no longer inuse, the computing device 202 or sensor management system 304 canproceed to step 258 and decommission the biological sensor 102. Thecomputing device 202 or sensor management system 304 can accomplish thisstep in several ways.

In one embodiment, the computing device 202 or sensor management system304 can send wireless instructions to the biological sensor 102 todisable communications permanently. Upon receiving such instructions,the biological sensor 102 can permanently disable a transmitter of thebiological sensor 102 by, for example, opening a switch that connects anantenna to the transmitter. The switch can be an electromechanicaldevice designed to remain open after it is switched to an open positionthereby permanently disabling communications by the biological sensor102. Alternatively, the biological sensor 102 can be configured to storeinformation in a nonvolatile memory which informs the biological sensor102 that communications (or operations in general) are to be permanentlydisabled. The nonvolatile memory can be configured such that once theinformation is written into memory it cannot be removed/erased from thememory. In yet another embodiment, the computing device 202 or sensormanagement system 304 can be configured to permanently decommission thebiological sensor 102 by discontinuing communications with thebiological sensor 102 and/or ignoring messages transmitted by thebiological sensor 102. In one embodiment, the decision by the computingdevice 202 or sensor management system 304 to stop communication (orignore communications by the biological sensor 102) can be associatedwith a unique identification number that is associated with thebiological sensor 102. In another embodiment, the computing device 202or sensor management system 304 can be configured to stop communication(or ignore communications) with one or more biological sensor 102associated with a patient in response to the patient being discharged.The computing device 202 or sensor management system 304 can beintegrated or communicatively coupled to a patient discharge system todetect when a patient is discharged.

It will be appreciated that method 250 can be adapted so that thebiological sensor 102 can be configured to perform steps 257 and 258independent of the computing device 202 or sensor management system 304.For example, the biological sensor 102 can be configured to decommissionitself if after a certain period (e.g., 1 hour) it has not detectedmotion, a pulse or other biological sensor readings. Method 250 can alsobe adapted so that steps 256-258 can be performed by an ancillary devicesuch as a trash dispenser. For example, a trash dispenser can beconfigured with a communication device enabled to receive data from thebiological sensor 102, analyze the data at step 257 and decommission thebiological sensor 102 at step 258 as previously described. The trashdispenser can also be configured to transmit a message to the computingdevice 202 or sensor management system 304, the message providing anidentification (e.g., patient ID, or other unique identifier) of thebiological sensor 102, and indicating that the biological sensor 102 hasbeen decommissioned. The computing device 202 or sensor managementsystem 304 can use this information to record the decommissioning of thebiological sensor 102.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIGS. 2J-2K,it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matteris not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

Now turning to FIG. 2L, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a biological sensor 102 in accordance withvarious aspects of the subject disclosure is shown. The biologicalsensor 102 can comprise a display 261 (e.g., LCD, OLED or other lowpower display technology—see FIG. 5) for presenting information. Thebiological sensor 102 can also be configured with a timer to present atimed event. The timer can be used for presenting an elapsed time 263.In one embodiment, the elapsed time 263 can be based on a countdownsequence that counts down to zero. Countdown sequences can be useful insituations where a procedure is expected to be performed within acertain period. In another embodiment, the timer can be configured tocount upwards to indicate to a clinician 101 how much time hastranspired since the timed event was initiated.

In some embodiments, the timed event can represent a timed procedurethat needs to be initiated by a clinician 101 or another individual(e.g., a patient 100 wearing the biological sensor 102). The type ofprocedure to be initiated can be identified by an indicator such as aprocedural code 262 that is recognizable by the clinician 101 or thepatient 100. In one embodiment, the timed procedure can be triggered bya biological condition detected by the biological sensor 102. In anotherembodiment, the timed procedure can be triggered by a procedureinitiated by a clinician 101 via a computing device 202 as illustratedin FIG. 2B or by the patient 100 with a mobile device (e.g., asmartphone, tablet or laptop). The computing device 202 (or otherprocessing device) can be configured, for example, to transmit awireless message directed to the biological sensor 102 that describesthe procedure being initiated by the clinician 101 (or patient 100).

Now turning to FIGS. 2M-2P, block diagrams illustrating example,non-limiting embodiments of devices communicatively coupled to abiological sensor 102 in accordance with various aspects of the subjectdisclosure are shown. FIG. 2M depicts a biological sensor 102 configuredto transmit wireless signals to a device such as a wristband 264attached to the patient 100. The biological sensor 102 can beconfigured, for example, to detect an event that triggers a timed eventsuch as a timed procedure and/or timed treatment. The biological sensor102 can transmit wireless signals to the wristband 264 to present thetimed event. The biological sensor 102 can, for example, provide thewristband 264 information for presenting the procedural code 262 andelapsed time 263 since the time event was initiated. The wristband 264can be battery operated and can include a display 261, a wirelessreceiver, and a processor to control the receiver and presentations atthe display 261. The wristband 264 can further include a timer that cancount down or count up to track time from when the timed event isinitiated, thereby offloading the biological sensor 102 from providingtimer information to the wristband 204.

In another embodiment, the biological sensor 102 can be configured towirelessly transmit information to a device 265 attached to a wall orother fixture (e.g., the headboard of a bed) as depicted in FIG. 2N. Thedevice 265 can be equipped with a display 261, a wireless receiver and aprocessor that controls the receiver and the information presented atthe display 261. The device 265 can also include a timer that can countdown or count up to track time from when the timed event is initiated,thereby offloading the biological sensor 102 from providing timerinformation to the device 265. If the device 265 has a large enoughdisplay, the device 265 can be configured to present information aboutthe patient 100 (e.g., patient's name), the elapsed time, one or moreprocedures that have been or are to be initiated, and one or moretreatments associated with each procedure. In the event that more thanone procedure is initiated, the device 265 can be further configured topresent more than one elapsed time for each timed procedure.

Alternatively, a clinician 101 can use a computing device 202 (such as atouch-screen tablet shown in FIG. 2O, also shown in FIG. 2B) to receivewireless information from the biological sensor 102 and present it in amanner similar to what was presented by device 265 in FIG. 2N. In yetanother embodiment, the computing device 202 can be further configuredto provide the information received from the biological sensor 102 to asystem 266 as illustrated in FIG. 2P. Alternatively, the system 266 canbe communicatively coupled to the biological sensor 102 by way of awireless access point (e.g., Bluetooth® or WiFi), thereby enabling thebiological sensor 102 to provide the system 266 information directlywithout an intermediate device such as the computing device 202. Thesystem 266 can present information on a display in a manner similar towhat was presented in FIGS. 2N-2O. In one embodiment, the system 266 canrepresent a local station accessible to multiple parties (e.g., nurseson a floor of a hospital). In other embodiments, the system 266 can beremote, and can be managed by remote personnel (or autonomously). Insuch embodiments, the system 266 can be represented by the sensormanagement system 304, which will be described below.

Now turning to FIG. 2Q, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a method 270 for initiating a timed event,procedure, treatment and/or process in accordance with various aspectsof the subject disclosure is shown. Method 270 can begin at step 271where a clinician 101 places a biological sensor 102 on a patient 100 asshown in FIG. 2A. It will be appreciated that the biological sensor 102can be placed on any portion of the patient 100 (e.g., head, chest, leg,thigh, etc.) as shown by the illustrations of FIG. 1. The biologicalsensor 102 can be provisioned as described below by the flowchart ofFIG. 6. Once provisioned, the biological sensor 102 can be configured todetect a biological condition (e.g., a fever, a heart attack, high bloodpressure, high pulse rate, etc.). If the biological condition isdetected at step 272, a timer can be identified at step 273 according tothe biological condition detected.

In one embodiment, the biological sensor 102 can be configured with alook-up table stored in a memory device of the biological sensor 102.The look-up table can include timer values searchable by a correspondingbiological condition. Once a biological condition is detected at step272, the biological sensor 102 can be configured to locate at step 273an entry in memory that matches the biological condition. The biologicalcondition can be identified by a unique number generated by thebiological sensor 102. The unique number used for identifying thebiological condition can be used to search a memory for correspondingtimer value(s), procedure(s), and/or treatment(s). The biological sensor102 can be further configured to retrieve a timer value from the memorylocation matching the biological condition. The timer value can be usedto configure a timer for a count down or count up sequence. Once thetimer is configured, an elapsed time can be presented at a display ofthe biological sensor 102 at step 274 as shown in FIG. 2L.Alternatively, the biological sensor 102 can provide the timer value toanother device such as the wristband 264 or the display device 265, eachhaving its own display 261 and timer.

In other embodiments, the biological sensor 102 can be configured totransmit a message to a computing device 202 or the sensor managementsystem 304 over a wired or wireless interface, the message indicatingthat a biological condition has been detected. The computing device 202or the sensor management system 304 in turn can search a memory (ordatabase) according to the detected biological condition (utilizing, forexample, a unique code provided by the biological sensor), and therebyobtain a corresponding timer value to initiate a timed event. In oneembodiment, the computing device 202 or the sensor management system 304can provide the timer value to the biological sensor 102 over the wiredor wireless interface for presenting an elapsed time at display 261 ofthe biological sensor 102, the wristband 264, or display device 265. Inother embodiments, the computing device 202 can initiate a timeraccording to the timer value and present an elapsed time on a display ofthe computing device 202 as shown in FIG. 2O. Alternatively, or incombination, the computing device 202 or the sensor management system304 can provide the timer value to a work station as shown in FIG. 2Pfor presentation of an elapsed time.

At step 275, one or more procedures and/or one or more treatments canalso be identified based on the biological condition detected by thebiological sensor 102. In one embodiment, step 275 can be performed bythe biological sensor 102. The biological sensor 102 can, for example,retrieve one or more procedures and/or one or more treatments from alook-up table included in its memory which can be searched according tothe unique code associated with the biological condition. Alternatively,the computing device 202 or the sensor management system 304 can searchfrom its memory (database) one or more procedures and/or one or moretreatments according to the biological condition provided by thebiological sensor 102. The procedures can provide a clinician 101 aprocess for addressing the biological condition. The treatments canfurther instruct the clinician 101 to use certain medication, therapy,corrective measures, materials, and/or equipment. In some embodiments,the procedure(s) and/or treatment(s) can be presented at step 276according to one or more numeric or alphanumeric indicators utilizing asmall section of the display 261 shown in the embodiments of FIGS.2L-2M. For larger displays, the procedure(s) and/or treatment(s) can bepresented at step 276 more fully as illustrated in FIGS. 2O-2P.

At step 277, initiation or completion of a procedure and/or treatmentcan be monitored. In one embodiment, this step can be performed by theclinician 101 utilizing the computing device 202. For example, theclinician 101 can enter by way of a user interface of the computingdevice 202 (e.g., touchscreen or keyboard) an indication that one ormore of the procedures have been initiated or completed. Upon detectingthis input, the timer value used by the timer at step 274 can be updatedat step 278. Step 278 may be useful in situations where a procedure hasmultiple timed sequences. An illustration is provided below to betterunderstand how multiple timed sequences can occur.

Suppose, for example, the timer initiated at step 274 represents a timerwhich upon expiration at step 279 alerts a clinician at step 280 with anotification message. The notification message can be transmitted by thebiological sensor 102, the wristband 264, the display device 265, thecomputing device 202 or the system 266 over a wired or wirelessinterface. The notification message can include information indicatingwhat procedure(s) and/or treatment(s) to initiate. In this embodiment,the expiration of the timer constitutes a time when to initiate theprocedure(s) and/or treatment(s). Alternatively, the timer initiated atstep 274 can represent a timer that directs a clinician 101 not toexceed a time limit for initiating a procedure/treatment. In thisembodiment the clinician can initiate a procedure/treatment anytimewithin an expiration period of the timer. If the timer expires, thenotification message can represent a warning message indicating thatinitiating the procedure/treatment should not be delayed further.

Once the clinician 101 initiates the procedure, a new timer can be setat step 278. Step 278 can be invoked in situations where a procedurerequires a sequence of steps or one or more subsequentprocedures/treatments to mitigate a biological condition. Each step orprocedure may have its own timed constraints. Hence, as a clinician 101completes one step or procedure/treatment another timer is set at step278 for the next step or procedure/treatment. A clinician can provideuser input by way of the computing device 202 that indicates that startor end of a procedure/treatment. Once a procedure or treatment iscompleted, step 278 may no longer be necessary, and the process can berestarted at step 272.

It will be appreciated that steps 277-280 can be implemented by thebiological sensor 102 independently or in cooperation with the computingdevice 202 or sensor management system 304. It is further appreciatedthat method 270 can be used for any number of detectable event. Forexample, when a biological sensor 102 is removed from the patient 100 asdescribed above, the computing device 202 or sensor management system304 can detect this event and initiate a timer at the displaysillustrated in FIGS. 2N-2P to direct a clinician 101 to replace thebiological sensor 102 with another biological sensor 102 within a giventime period.

An event can also be generated by user input. For example, a clinician101 can generate user input (audible or tactile) by way of the userinterface of the computing device 202 to indicate that the patient 100has experienced a biological condition (e.g., a heart attack). Inanother embodiment, monitoring equipment such as an ECG/EKG monitor canbe configured to generate information that can identify an event (e.g.,a heart attack, failed breathing, etc.). The user input and/orinformation generated by a biological monitor can be conveyed to asystem (e.g., the sensor management system 304) that can identify abiological condition or event which in turn can cause an initiation ofsteps 272-280 as previously described. The steps of method 270 can beperformed in whole or in part by biological sensor 102, the computingdevice 202, sensor management system 304, equipment monitoringbiological functions, or any combinations thereof. Additionally, method270 can also be adapted to detect at step 272 a change in a previouslydetected biological condition (e.g., an improvement or worsening of thecondition) and adapt procedure(s), treatment(s), and/or timer(s)accordingly (e.g., reducing or increasing medication, adding or removingprocedures/treatments, changing timer value(s), etc.).

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 2Q, itis to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter isnot limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

Turning now to FIGS. 3A-3F, block diagrams illustrating example,non-limiting embodiments of a system 300 for managing sensor data inaccordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure is shown. FIG.3A depicts a network architecture in which one or more sensor managementsystems 304 are communicatively coupled to hospitals (A)-(N) 308,clinicians (A)-(N) 310, monitoring services (A)-(N) 312, and/or patients(A)-(N) 100, singly or in combination. The sensor management system 304can record and access data from sensor databases (A)-(N) 306. In anembodiment, hospitals (A)-(N) 308, clinicians (A)-(N) 310, andmonitoring services (A)-(N) 312 can provide the sensor management system304 access to patients 100 through their systems and local networkdevices as depicted in FIG. 3B. Alternatively, the sensor managementsystem 304 can be communicatively coupled to patients (A)-(N) 100directly as shown in FIG. 3A without intervening health care providers(such as hospitals, clinicians, or monitoring services), and insteadprovide care providers access to information of certain patientsrecorded in the sensor databases (A)-(N) 306.

FIGS. 3C-3F depict different arrangements for managing sensors 102. Inone embodiment, for example, the sensor management system 304 can becommunicatively coupled to sensors 102 via the communications network302 which is communicatively coupled to a local network 320 (e.g., alocal area network, WiFi access point, etc.) having access to thesensors 102 as depicted in FIG. 3C. In another embodiment, the sensormanagement system 304 can be communicatively coupled to sensors 102 viathe communications network 302 which is communicatively coupled to acomputing device 202 (such as shown in FIG. 2B) having access to thesensors 102 as depicted in FIG. 3D. In some embodiments, the computingdevice 202 can operate off-line (i.e., without access to the sensormanagement system 304) as depicted in FIG. 3D with the hash lines. Whileoff-line, the computing device 202 can collect sensor data from sensors102, provision sensors 102, and perform other tasks which can berecorded locally in a memory of the computing device 202. Once thecomputing device 202 restores access to the sensor management system 304via communications network 302, the computing device 202 can provide thesensor management system 304 access to its local memory to updatedatabases 306 with new sensor data, provisioning data, and so on.

In yet another embodiment, the computing device 202 can be configured tooperate independently from the sensor management system 304 as depictedin FIG. 3E and collect sensor data from sensors 102, provision sensors102, and perform other tasks which are recorded locally in the memory ofthe computing device 202. In another embodiment, the sensor managementsystem 304 can be configured to communicate with one or more localservers 330 as depicted in FIG. 3F, which have access to computingdevices 202 via a local network 320. The computing devices 202 canprovide sensor management information to the local servers 330. Thelocal servers 330 in turn can provide the sensor management system 304access to the sensor information collected from the computing devices202. In some embodiments, the local servers 330 can also be configuredto operate independently from the sensor management system 304.

It will be appreciated from the number of illustrations shown in FIGS.3A-3F that any number of network configurations between sensors 102 andother devices managing use of the sensors 102 is possible. It is furthernoted that the arrangements in FIGS. 3A-3F can be adapted for managingsensors worn by a patient located in a residence, a clinic, a doctor'soffice, a hospital, outdoors, while in transit, while traveling, and soon.

It is also noted that the communications network 302 and the localnetwork 320 shown in FIGS. 3A-3F can comprise a landline communicationsnetwork (e.g., packet switched landline networks, circuit switchednetworks, etc.), a wireless communications network (e.g., cellularcommunications, WiFi, etc.), or combinations thereof. It is also notedthat the computing device 202 of FIG. 2B can be configured to initiatecommunications with the biological sensor 102 and the communicationsnetwork 302 to provide the sensor management system 304 access to thebiological sensors 102 used by multiple patients. In this embodiment,the computing device 202 can serve as a gateway between thecommunications network 302 and the biological sensors 102. In otherembodiments, the biological sensors 102 can gain direct access to thecommunications network 302 by way of a gateway that provide internetaccess (e.g., a WiFi access point).

The sensor management system 304 can be configured to store endlessamounts of biological data of patients 100 over long periods of time(e.g., an entire lifetime and/or generations of patients) in databases306. Such data can serve to provide historical information that may beinvaluable to the patients 100 and their lineages.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a biological sensor 102 is shown. Thebiological sensor 102 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), a power supply 414, a locationreceiver 416, a motion sensor 418, an orientation sensor 420, a userinterface (UI) 401, a memory 404, a drug delivery system 408, abiometric sensor 409, one or more sensors 410, a user interface 412, anda controller 406 for managing operations thereof. Not all of thecomponents shown in the biological sensor 102 are necessary. Forexample, in one embodiment the biological sensor 102 can comprise thetransceiver 402, the controller 406, the memory 404, one or more sensors410, and the power supply 404. In other embodiments, the biologicalsensor 102 can further include one or more components not used in theprevious embodiment such as the UI 401, the drug delivery system 408,the biometric sensor 409, the location receiver 416, the motion sensor418, the orientation sensor 420, or any combinations thereof.Accordingly, any combinations of component of the biological sensor 102depicted in FIG. 4 are possible and contemplated by the subjectdisclosure.

Although FIGS. 1 and 2A-2B depict topical applications of the biologicalsensor 102 on an outer skin of the patient 100, in other embodiments,the biological sensor 102 can in whole or in part be embedded in apatient 100. For example, a certain sensor 410 may be embedded in a skinof the patient 100 while other components of the biological sensor 102may be located on an outer surface of the skin. In other embodiments, acertain sensor 410 may be attached to an organ (e.g., the heart).Accordingly, the biological sensor 102 can be located in a number ofplaces within a patient's body, outside a patient's body, orcombinations thereof.

The UI 401 can include an input device 403. In one embodiment, the inputdevice 403 can comprise one or more depressible electromechanicalbuttons. In other embodiments, or in combination, the input device 403can comprise a touch sensitive interface such as a pad that utilizescapacitive, resistive or other forms of touch-sensing technology. The UI401 can further include a display 405 such as monochrome or color LCD(Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or othersuitable display technology for conveying images. In some embodiments,the input device 403 and the display 405 can be combined to form atouch-sensitive display. The UI 401 can also include an audio system 407that utilizes audio technology for facilitating generation of audiblesignals via, for example, a speaker, and/or to receive audio signalsvia, for example, a microphone.

The transceiver 402 can support short-range or long-range wirelessaccess technologies such as RFID, Near Field Communications (NFC),Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, or cellular communication technologies,just to mention a few (Bluetooth® and ZigBee® are trademarks registeredby the Bluetooth® Special Interest Group and the ZigBee® Alliance,respectively). Cellular technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1X,UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well asother next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise.The transceiver 402 can also be adapted to support cable protocols(e.g., USB, Firewire, Ethernet, or other suitable cable technologies),circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), or combinations thereof.

The drug delivery system 408 can comprise micro-needles, one or morereservoirs of one or more drugs, and a piezo inkjet (not shown), whichcombined form a microfluidic system. The piezo inkjet can be coupled tothe one or more reservoirs to selectively deliver dosages via themicro-needles. The piezo inkjet can be coupled to the controller 406which can provide controlled delivery of dosages of one or more drugs bythe drug delivery system 408. The biometric sensor 409 can be afingerprint sensor, a voice sensor (with a built-in microphone), or anyother type of suitable biometric sensor for identifying a user of thebiological sensor 102. The sensors 410 can use common biological sensingtechnology for measuring biological functions of a patient including,but not limited to, temperature, perspiration, pulse rate, bloodpressure, respiration rate, glucose levels in the blood, SpO2, ECG/EKG,particulates in the air that may cause an ailment to an individual(e.g., pollen or other forms of allergens in the air), and so on.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the biological sensor 102 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or in combination,the power supply 414 can utilize external power sources such as DC powersupplied over a physical interface such as a USB port or other suitabletethering technologies.

In other embodiments, the biological sensor can be battery-less. In thisembodiment, the power supply 414 can utilize circuitry that powers thecomponents of the biological sensor 102 utilizing RF energy received byan antenna or other receptive element. In one embodiment, for example,the biological sensor 102 can use NFC technology to intercept RF signalsgenerated by the computing device 202 when the computing device 202 isheld about a foot or less away from the biological sensor 102. Inanother embodiment, the biological sensor 102 can utilize battery-lesstechnology similar to that used by passive RFID devices. Other suitablebattery-less technologies can be applied to the embodiments of thesubject disclosure.

The location receiver 416 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of identifying alocation of the biological sensor 102 using signals generated by aconstellation of GPS satellites. The motion sensor 418 can utilizemotion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, orother suitable motion sensing technology to detect a motion of thebiological sensor 102 in three-dimensional space. The orientation sensor420 can utilize orientation sensing technology such as a magnetometer todetect the orientation of the biological sensor 102 (north, south, west,east, as well as combined orientations in degrees, minutes, or othersuitable orientation metrics).

The controller 406 can utilize computing technologies such as amicroprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), programmable gatearrays, application specific integrated circuits, which can be coupledto the memory 404. The memory 404 can utilize memory technologies suchas Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies forexecuting instructions, controlling operations of the biological sensor102, and for storing and processing sensing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the biological sensor 102.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a computing device 202 in accordance withvarious aspects of the subject disclosure is shown. Computing device 202can comprise a wireline and/or wireless transceiver 502 (hereintransceiver 502), a user interface (UI) 504, a power supply 514, alocation receiver 516, a motion sensor 518, an orientation sensor 520,and a controller 506 for managing operations thereof. The transceiver502 can support short-range or long-range wireless access technologiessuch as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, or cellular communicationtechnologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologies can include,for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX,SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 502 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 504 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 508 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the computing device 202.The keypad 508 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecomputing device 202 or an independent device operably coupled theretoby a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or a wirelessinterface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 508 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 504 can further include a display510 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the computing device 202. In anembodiment where the display 510 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 508 can be presented by way of the display 510 withnavigation features.

In another embodiment, display 510 can use touch screen technology toserve as a user interface for detecting user input. As a touch screendisplay, the computing device 202 can be adapted to present a userinterface with graphical user interface (GUI) elements that can beselected by a user with a touch of a finger. The touch screen display510 can be equipped with capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensingtechnology to detect how much surface area of a user's finger has beenplaced on a portion of the touch screen display. This sensinginformation can be used to control the manipulation of the GUI elementsor other functions of the user interface. The display 510 can be anintegral part of the housing assembly of the computing device 202 or anindependent device communicatively coupled thereto by a tetheredwireline interface (such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 504 can also include an audio system 512 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 512 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 512 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI504 can further include an image sensor 513 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 514 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the computing device 202 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or in combination,the charging system can utilize external power sources such as DC powersupplied over a physical interface such as a USB port or other suitabletethering technologies.

The location receiver 516 can utilize location technology such as a GPSreceiver for identifying a location of the computing device 202 based onsignals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can beused for facilitating location services such as navigation. The motionsensor 518 can utilize motion sensing technology such as anaccelerometer, a gyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technologyto detect motion of the computing device 202 in three-dimensional space.The orientation sensor 520 can utilize orientation sensing technologysuch as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the computing device202 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The controller 506 can utilize computing technologies such as amicroprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), programmable gatearrays, application specific integrated circuits, and/or a videoprocessor with associated storage memory such as Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM,DRAM or other storage technologies for executing computer instructions,controlling, and processing data supplied by the aforementionedcomponents of the computing device 202.

Other components not shown in FIG. 5 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the computingdevice 202 can also include a slot for adding or removing an identitymodule such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. SIM cards can beused for identifying subscriber services, executing programs, storingsubscriber data, and so forth. The computing device 202 as describedherein can operate with more or less of the circuit components shown inFIG. 5. These variant embodiments can be used in one or more embodimentsof the subject disclosure.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a method 600 in accordance with variousaspects of the subject disclosure is shown. Method 600 can be applied toany combination of the embodiments of FIGS. 1, 2A-2B, 3A-3B, and 4-5.Method 600 can begin with step 602 where a biological sensor 102 isplaced on a patient 100 by one of a number of known means such as, forexample, being placed by a clinician (e.g., a nurse as shown in FIG.2A). In one embodiment, the biological sensor 102 can utilize anadhesive for coupling to the skin of the patient 100. In anotherembodiment, the clinician can be a surgeon that implants the biologicalsensor 102 in whole or in part in a body portion of the patient 100.

At step 604, the biological sensor 102 can be configured to initiatecommunications with a system. In one embodiment the biological sensor102 can initiate communications with a computing device 202 such asshown in FIG. 2B. In this embodiment, the biological sensor 102 caninitiate communications utilizing, for example, short range wirelesstechnology such as near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth®, ZigBee®,WiFi or other suitable short range wireless communications technology.The computing device 202 in turn can communicate with the sensormanagement system 304 via the communications network 302 to provide thesensor management system 304 access to information supplied by thebiological sensor 102.

In another embodiment, the biological sensor 102 can initiatecommunications with the sensor management system 304 by way of thecommunications network 302 utilizing long range wireless technology suchcellular technology or other suitable long range wireless communicationstechnology. In yet another embodiment, the biological sensor 102 caninitiate communications with the sensor management system 304 by way ofthe communications network 302 utilizing wireline communicationstechnology.

In one embodiment, for example, the biological sensor 102 can betethered to the computing device 202 with a cable (e.g., a USB cable).In this embodiment, the computing device 202 can provide the sensormanagement system 304 access to information supplied by the biologicalsensor 102. In another embodiment, the biological sensor 102 can haveaccess to a local network providing connectivity to the Internet by wayof a cable (e.g., Ethernet cable). In this embodiment, the sensormanagement system 304 can have direct access to the biological sensor102.

Based on the foregoing embodiments, the system referred to in step 604and in subsequent steps can be represented by the computing device 202,the sensor management system 304, or a combination thereof. The termsystem as utilized in method 600 can be adapted to represent solely thecomputing device 202, solely the sensor management system 304, or acombination of the computing device 202 and the sensor management system304, each configured to cooperate therebetween in a manner that achievesthe embodiments described by method 600. It is also noted that otherarrangements are possible as shown in FIGS. 3A-3F.

At step 606, the system can determine whether the biological sensor 102is provisioned. This determination can be made a number of ways. Forexample, a clinician 101 can enter information on a computing device 202which signals the sensor management system 304 that the biologicalsensor 102 is a new sensor placed on patient 100, which has not beenprovisioned. In another embodiment, the biological sensor 102 can bepolled by the sensor management system 304 (or by the computing device202) to determine if the biological sensor 102 has been provisioned. Inanother embodiment, the sensor management system 304 (and/or thecomputing device 202) can be configured to determine that a priorbiological sensor 102 has been used (or is currently in use) by thepatient 100 and the new biological sensor 102 that was detected is of adifferent serial number, but functionally equivalent or similar to theprior biological sensor 102.

In another embodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can be configured to receive from the biologicalsensor 102 an identification of the patient 100. To obtain thisinformation, the biological sensor 102 can be configured to receive theidentification of the patient 100 from the computing device 202. Inanother embodiment, the biological sensor 102 can obtain theidentification from a wristband worn by the patient 100 that includes anRFID device or other device suitable to convey the identification of thepatient 100 wirelessly to the biological sensor 102. Upon obtaining theidentification of the patient 100, the sensor management system 304 (orthe computing device 202) can be configured to retrieve a record of thepatient 100 indexed according to the identification of the patient, anddetect therefrom that the biological sensor 102 is not identified in achart of the patient 100.

In yet another embodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can be configured to detect an expiration of autilization period applied to a prior biological sensor 102 anddetermine that the biological sensor 102 now detected is a replacementsensor that has not been provisioned. There are many other ways toperform inventory management of biological sensors 102 to determine whenthe biological sensor 102 is not provisioned. For example, the sensormanagement system 304 (or the computing device 202) can be configured todetect that provisioning data stored by the sensor management system 304(or the computing device 202) is not synchronized with data stored inthe biological sensor 102 by comparing time stamps associated with datastored in the biological sensor 102 to time stamps associated with datastored in the databases 306 of the sensor management system 304 (or thememory of the computing device 202). If the time stamps of the sensormanagement system 304 (or the memory of the computing device 202) arenot the same as the time stamps of the biological sensor 102, then thesensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) can detectthe biological sensor 102 has not been provisioned. In yet anotherembodiment, the biological sensor 102 can provide the sensor managementsystem 304 (or the computing device 202) information indicating it hasnot been provisioned.

These and other alternative embodiments for determining whether abiological sensor 102 is provisioned are contemplated by the subjectdisclosure.

Referring back to step 606, if the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) detects the biological sensor 102 is notprovisioned, the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device202) can proceed to step 608 where it can determine whether historicalsensor data is available. The historical sensor data can originate fromprior biological sensors used by the patient 100. The historical sensordata can represent data captured minutes, hours, days, months or yearsbefore the new biological sensor 102 is detected at step 604. If thehistorical sensor data is available, the sensor management system 304(or the computing device 202) can proceed to step 610 to obtain suchdata from a memory device used to retain records of the patient 100(e.g., the customer sensor databases 306 or an internal memory of thecomputing device 202).

Once the historical sensor data is obtained, the sensor managementsystem 304 (or the computing device 202) can proceed to step 614 todetermine normative conditions and/or thresholds for detecting one ormore biological conditions of the patient 100 from the historical sensordata collected from one or more previously used biological sensors 102.The historical sensor data collected from the one or more previouslyused biological sensors 102 can be over a period of time such asminutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, or longer. The time periodused for selecting historical sensor data can be driven by a number offactors. For example, the time period may be based on a specificprotocol initiated by a clinician (nurse and/or doctor). The protocolcan be initiated as a result of a procedure performed on the patient(e.g., surgery, therapy, drug application, and so on), a protocol formonitoring patient vitals, or a protocol customized by the clinician toaddress a particular disease. Any medical protocol prescribed by theclinician or a medical organization are contemplated by the subjectdisclosure. Once a time period is selected, the historical sensor datacan be analyzed to identify one or more normative conditions and/orthresholds for the patient 100. FIGS. 7A-7D illustrate non-limitingexample embodiments for determining normative conditions, and thresholdsfor detecting biological conditions.

Turning now to FIG. 7A, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a plot of sensor data of a plurality ofpatients in accordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure isshown. FIG. 7 depicts three patients (A), (B) and (C). Historical sensordata of patient (A) indicates that the patient has had an averagetemperature of 99.5° Fahrenheit (F) over a select period. In oneembodiment, the clinician may be aware that patient (A) has exhibitedthis temperature over extended periods of time and thereby can form anopinion that such a temperature does not pose a health risk to patient(A) even though it is higher than a population norm of 98.6° F. In oneembodiment, the clinician can record his opinion in a chart of patient(A), which can be accessible to the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202). In one embodiment, the sensor management system304 (or the computing device 202) can access the chart of patient (A)and determine from the clinician's opinion that such a temperature maybe considered a normative condition for patient (A) given thephysiological state and health of patient (A). In another embodiment,the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) cananalyze the sensor data of the patient (A) in relation to the patient'stemperature, other sensory data (e.g., blood pressure, pulse rate,respiration rate, blood pressure and so on) and/or other medicalhistory, and determine, without relying on the clinician's opinion, thatsuch a temperature may be considered a normative condition for patient(A) given the physiological state and health of patient (A).

In another embodiment, the clinician may be aware that patient (A) maybe subject to an illness that the clinician expects will result in arise in temperature, which the clinician records in the chart of patient(A). In yet another embodiment, the clinician may be applying a drugtreatment to patient (A) that the clinician knows will cause a rise intemperature, which the clinician records in the chart of patient (A).The sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) can beconfigured to analyze the chart of patient (A) and consider thetemperature a normative condition of patient (A) based on the entries ofthe clinician indicating an expected rise in temperature. Alternatively,the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) can beconfigured to analyze the sensor data, detect from the chart thatpatient (A) has an illness, or is subject to a drug therapy, accessinformation relating to the illness or drug therapy (from databases 306or other information storage system(s)), and determine, without relyingon the clinician's opinion, from the sensor data and the informationobtained about the illness or drug therapy that the temperature ofpatient (A) would be higher than normal, and therefore can be considereda normative condition of patient (A).

Turning now to patient (B), the historical sensor data of patient (B)indicates that the patient has had an average temperature of 96.4° F.over a select period. In one embodiment, the clinician may be aware thatpatient (B) has exhibited this temperature over extended periods of timeand that such a temperature does not pose a health risk to patient (B).Clinician can record his or her opinion in a chart of patient (B)accessible to the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device202). Thus such a temperature may be considered a normative conditionfor patient (B) given the physiological state and health of patient (B).In another embodiment, the clinician may be aware that patient (B) maybe subject to an illness that results in such a temperature. In yetanother embodiment, the clinician may be applying a drug treatment topatient (B) that the clinician knows will cause a drop in temperature.

The sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) can beconfigured to analyze the chart of patient (B) and consider thetemperature a normative condition of patient (B) based on the entries ofthe clinician indicating an expected drop in temperature. Alternatively,the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) can beconfigured to analyze the sensor data, detect from the chart thatpatient (B) has an illness, or is subject to a drug therapy, accessinformation relating to the illness or drug therapy (from databases 306or other information storage system(s)), and determine, without relyingon the clinician's opinion, from the sensor data and the informationobtained about the illness or drug therapy that the temperature ofpatient (B) would be lower than normal, and therefore can consider it anormative condition of patient (B).

Turning now to patient (C), the historical sensor data of patient (C)indicates that the patient has had an average temperature of 98.6° F.over a select period, which coincides with what most clinicians mayconsider an average temperature for the general population. Thus theclinician does not have to consider exceptions for patient (C).Accordingly, this temperature will be used as a normative condition forpatient (C). The sensor management system 304 (or the computing device202) can be configured to analyze the chart of patient (C) and considerthe temperature a normative condition of patient (C). Alternatively, thesensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) can beconfigured to analyze the sensor data, and determine, without relying onthe clinician's opinion, that the sensor data coincides with the generalpopulation, and therefore can consider it a normative condition ofpatient (C).

Turning now to FIG. 7B, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a plot of sensor data of the plurality ofpatients (A)-(C) of FIG. 7A. Historical sensor data of patient (A)indicates that the patient has had an average pulse rate of 80 beats perminute over a select period. The sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can be configured to consider such a pulse rate anormative condition for patient (A) given that a range of 60 to 100beats per minute is generally a healthy pulse rate. In one embodiment,the clinician can record his opinion in a chart of patient (A), whichcan be accessed by the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202).

Turning now to patient (B), the historical sensor data of patient (B)indicates that the patient has had an average pulse rate of 50 beats perminute over a select period. In one embodiment, the clinician may beaware that patient (B) has exhibited this pulse rate over extendedperiods of time given the athletic training undertaken by patient (B).In one embodiment, the clinician can record his opinion in a chart ofpatient (B), which can be accessed by the sensor management system 304(or the computing device 202). In one embodiment, the sensor managementsystem 304 (or the computing device 202) can access the chart of patient(B) and determine from the clinician's opinion that such a pulse ratemay be considered a normative condition for patient (B) given thephysiological state and health of patient (B). In another embodiment,the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) cananalyze the sensor data of the patient (B) in relation to the patient'spulse rate, other sensory data (e.g., temperature, blood pressure,respiration rate, blood pressure and so on) and other medical history,and determine, without relying on the clinician's opinion, that such apulse rate may be considered a normative condition for patient (B) giventhe physiological state and health of patient (B).

Turning now to patient (C), the historical sensor data of patient (C)indicates that the patient has had an average pulse rate of 105 beatsper minute over a select period, which is above normal. In oneembodiment, the clinician may be aware that patient (C) has a conditionsuch as, for example, hypertension, coronary artery disease, thyroiddisease, etc., which can result in a higher pulse rate that theclinician records in the chart of patient (C). In yet anotherembodiment, the clinician may be applying a drug treatment to patient(C) that the clinician knows will cause a rise in pulse rate, which theclinician records in the chart of patient (C).

In one embodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can be configured to analyze the chart of patient (C) andconsider the pulse rate a normative condition of patient (C) based onthe entries of the clinician indicating an expected rise in pulse rate.Alternatively, the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device202) can be configured to analyze the sensor data, detect from the chartthat patient (C) has an illness, or is subject to a drug therapy, accessinformation relating to the illness or drug therapy (from databases 306or other information storage system(s)), and determine, without relyingon the clinician's opinion, from the sensor data and the informationobtained about the illness or drug therapy that the pulse rate ofpatient (C) would be higher than normal, and therefore can be considereda normative condition of patient (C).

Turning now to FIG. 7C, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of temperature thresholds used for monitoringbiological conditions of the plurality of patients (A)-(C) according tothe sensor data of FIG. 7A. Turning now to patient A, given thenormative condition of patient (A) averages at 99.5° F., the clinicianmay consider an adverse biological condition to begin at 101° F. If, forexample, patient (A) does not have an illness or is not being treatedwith drug therapy to cause a normative condition at 99.5° F., then athreshold of 101° F. may be considered the beginning of a fever. If, onthe other hand, patient (A) is subject to an illness or drug therapyresulting in the normative condition, then a rise in temperature to 101°F. may reflect an adverse biological condition that is more than just afever. For example, the adverse biological condition may represent abody's negative reaction to the drug therapy and/or a worsening of theillness. In one embodiment, the threshold can be established by theclinician, which the clinician can record in the chart of patient (A).In another embodiment the threshold can be established by protocolsrelating to the illness and/or the drug therapy.

In one embodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can be configured to analyze the chart of patient (A) andgenerate the threshold shown in FIG. 7C. Alternatively, the sensormanagement system 304 (or the computing device 202) can be configured toanalyze the normative condition of patient (A), detect from the chartthat patient (A) has an illness, and/or is subject to a drug therapy,access information relating to the illness and/or drug therapy (e.g.,specific protocols), and determine, without relying on the clinician'sproposed threshold, the threshold shown in FIG. 7C.

Turning now to patient (B), given the normative condition of patient (B)averages at 96.4° F., the clinician may consider an adverse biologicalcondition to begin at 99° F. If, for example, patient (B) does not havean illness or is not being treated with drug therapy to cause anormative condition at 96.4° F., then a threshold of 99° F. may beconsidered the beginning of a fever. If, on the other hand, patient (B)is subject to an illness or drug therapy resulting in the normativecondition, then a rise in temperature to 99° F. may reflect an adversebiological condition that is more than just a fever. For example, theadverse biological condition may represent a body's negative reaction tothe drug therapy and/or a worsening of the illness. In one embodiment,the threshold can be established by the clinician, which the cliniciancan record in the chart of patient (B). In another embodiment thethreshold can be established by protocols relating to the illness and/orthe drug therapy.

In one embodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can be configured to analyze the chart of patient (B) andgenerate the threshold shown in FIG. 7C. Alternatively, the sensormanagement system 304 (or the computing device 202) can be configured toanalyze the normative condition of patient (B), detect from the chartthat patient (B) has an illness, and/or is subject to a drug therapy,access information relating to the illness and/or drug therapy (e.g.,specific protocols), and determine, without relying on the clinician'sproposed threshold, the threshold shown in FIG. 7C.

Turning now to patient (C), given the normative condition of patient (C)averages at 98.6° F. is considered normal for the general population,the clinician may consider an adverse biological condition to begin at100.4° F. Such a threshold can be used for detecting a fever. Theclinician can record in the chart of patient (C) that patient (C)exhibits the temperature norm of the general population. The sensormanagement system 304 (or the computing device 202) can be configured toanalyze the chart of patient (C) and generate the threshold shown inFIG. 7C. Alternatively, the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can be configured to analyze the normativecondition of patient (C), and determine that an appropriate thresholdfor detecting a fever follows the norm of the general population andthus arrive at the threshold shown in FIG. 7C.

Turning now to FIG. 7D, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of pulse rate thresholds used for monitoringbiological conditions of the plurality of patients (A)-(C) according tothe sensor data of FIG. 7B. Turning now to patient A, given thenormative condition of patient (A) averages at 80 beats per minute,which is considered normal for the general population, the clinician mayconsider an adverse biological condition to begin at 105 beats perminute when the patient is at rest (5% above the norm of the generalpopulation, which is 100 beats per minute). The biological sensor 102used by patient (A) can detect that the patient is at rest utilizing,for example, the motion sensor 418 depicted in FIG. 4. In oneembodiment, the threshold can be established by the clinician, which theclinician can record in the chart of patient (A). In one embodiment, thesensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) can beconfigured to analyze the chart of patient (A) and generate thethreshold shown in FIG. 7D. Alternatively, the sensor management system304 (or the computing device 202) can be configured to analyze thenormative condition of patient (A), and determine, without relying onthe clinician's opinion, that patient (A) should use a threshold appliedto the general population, such as, for example, a threshold of 100beats per minute.

Turning now to patient (B), given the normative condition of patient (B)averages at 50 beats per minute, if, for example, patient (B) does nothave an illness and is not being treated with drug therapy to cause anormative condition at 50 beats per minute, then the clinician mayconsider an adverse biological condition to begin at 90 beats per minutewhen the patient is at rest. Even though 90 beats per minute is below apopulation threshold of 100 beats per minute, the clinician may considera change from 50 to 90 beats per minute to be a substantial change for apatient with a history of rigorous athletic training. The biologicalsensor 102 used by patient (B) can detect that the patient is at restutilizing, for example, the motion sensor 418 depicted in FIG. 4. Thechart of patient (B) may also include information indicating the lasttime patient (B) was measured at 50 beats per minute.

In one embodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can be configured to determine from the chart of patient (B)the threshold of 90 beats per minute and thereafter monitor patient (B)for unexpected changes. The sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can also be configured to detect unexpected rapidchanges in pulse rate in a relatively short period (e.g., 48 hours orless). Further, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can also be configured to detect a trend in the pulse rateof patient (B) (e.g., an upward trend in pulse rate over weeks ormonths).

Turning now to patient (C), given the normative condition of patient (C)averages at 105 beats per minute, which is high (likely due to illness,e.g., hypertension), the clinician may consider an adverse biologicalcondition to begin at 100 beats per minute when patient (C) is at rest.The clinician may have set a threshold below the normative condition asa result of the clinician prescribing medication to reduce hypertensionin patient 100. Such prescription may reduce the pulse rate of thepatient by, for example, 15% (e.g., ˜90 beats per minute). The cliniciancan enter the prescribed medication in the chart of patient 100 which isaccessible to the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device202). Although FIG. 7B shows a normative condition of 105 beats perminute, the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202)can be configured to recognize an adjusted normative condition of 90beats per minute while patient 100 is using the hypertension medication.

In one embodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can be configured to determine from the chart of patient (C)the threshold of 100 beats per minute and thereafter monitor patient (C)for unexpected changes. The sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can also be configured to detect unexpected rapidchanges in pulse rate in a relatively short period (e.g., 48 hours orless). Further, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can also be configured to detect a trend in the pulse rateof patient (C) (e.g., an upward trend in pulse rate over weeks ormonths).

The foregoing embodiments for determining normative conditions andthresholds of a patient as shown in FIGS. 7A-7D can also be used forother vital signs (e.g., blood pressure, respiration rate), as well asto other biological functions that can be measured for a patient (e.g.,red cell count, SpO2, glucose levels in the blood, electrocardiogrammeasurements, and so on). Additionally, the sensor management system 304(or the computing device 202) can be configured to analyze sensor dataof more than one biological function at a time to assess normativeconditions and thresholds rather than relying on a single biologicalfunction. The sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202)can, for example, correlate one type of biological sensor data (e.g.,pulse rate) with another type of biological sensor data (e.g., bloodpressure) to determine a normative condition and/or threshold. In thismanner, the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202)can perform a more holistic analysis of the patient's sensor data.

It is further noted that the normative conditions and the thresholds ofFIGS. 7A-7D can have a temporal component. That is, a normativecondition may be considered normative only for a period of time eitherby instructions from the clinician, medical protocols and/or othermedical conditions associated with the patient 100 that can bedetermined by the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device202). In one embodiment, a threshold can be set for a specific timeperiod. For example, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can detect when a drug therapy has begun and when it ends byobtaining information from the chart of the patient 100. In anembodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device202) can be configured to change normative conditions and correspondingthresholds upon expiration of such periods.

In another embodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can be adapted to use ranges of the normativeconditions and thresholds shown in FIGS. 7A-7D. That is, a normativecondition and/or a threshold can have a range having an upper and lowerlimit. In another embodiment, more than one normative condition and morethan one threshold can be used to identify different biologicalconditions that may arise in a patient as the patient's sensor datashows measurements drifting in one direction or another. In yet anotherembodiment, the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device202) can be adapted to detect sensor data trends that it can use topredict future outcomes before they occur. A sensor data trend can, forexample, identify a specific course that measurements may be taking,which in turn can provide the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) a projected trajectory and time when an adversecondition may occur. In another embodiment, the sensor management system304 (or the computing device 202) can be adapted to detect erraticchanges in sensor data. Such changes can be flagged as a problem withthe biological sensors 102 (e.g., a malfunction) and/or biologicalissues that may need to be addressed.

It is further noted that algorithms for detecting biological conditionscan be generated by the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202). In one embodiment, for example, the sensor managementsystem 304 (or the computing device 202) can be configured to generate ascript or software program that emulates a specific medical protocolused for detecting biological conditions associated with an illness ofthe patient, an adverse reaction to a drug therapy being applied to thepatient, or some other biological condition to be monitored. The scriptor software can be generated by the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can, for example, detect trends, detect whensensor measurements exceed thresholds, detect erratic or rapid changes,applying hysteresis to sensor measurements to filter out short bursts ofanomalous readings, detect malfunctions in the biological sensor 102,and so on. So long as the biological sensor 102 has the computingresources, any algorithm of any complexity can be supplied to thebiological sensor 102. For example, a script or software can determinehow often a patient 100 is sensed. Patients that are healthy, forinstance, may be sensed less frequently thereby saving battery power ofthe sensor 102. Patients that may have a condition may have a script orsoftware that's more aggressive on readings.

The script or software can comprise instructions executable by thebiological sensor 102, or macro instructions that can be translated(compiled) by the biological sensor 102 into executable instructions.Each algorithm can be given a version which can be sent to thebiological sensors 102 for version tracking. As medical protocolschange, the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202)can query biological sensors 102 for versions and download newalgorithmic versions when a version used by the biological sensors 102is out-of-date. The sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can also be configured to provide new algorithmic versionsto the biological sensors 102 that are pre-programmed with a certainalgorithmic version that may be out-of-date.

Referring back to FIG. 6, the foregoing embodiments illustrate ways toprocess historical sensor data obtained at step 610 (and chartinformation if available for the patient 100) to determine normativeconditions and/or thresholds at step 614. It is noted that chartinformation may be electronically stored by the sensor management system304, the computing device 202, or other storage systems accessible bythe sensor management system 304 and/or the computing device 202.

Referring back to step 608, if the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) detects that historical sensor data is notavailable for the patient 100, the sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can proceed to step 612. At this step, the sensormanagement system 304 (or the computing device 202) can collect sensordata from the new sensor until sufficient sensor data is available todetermine normative conditions and/or thresholds for the patientaccording to the sensor data (and chart information if available for thepatient).

Referring now to step 614, once the normative condition(s) and/orthreshold(s) have been determined according to historical sensor dataobtained at step 610, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can proceed to step 616 and generate provisioninginformation for the new biological sensor 102 detected at step 606. Theprovisioning information can include, among other things, one or morenormative conditions, one or more thresholds, one or more algorithms (ifthe biological sensor 102 is not pre-programmed or has an out-of-datealgorithm), a most recent history of sensor data measurements (e.g.,measurements performed in the last hour), identification information ofthe patient 100, a last known location of the patient, certain chartinformation relating to the patient (e.g., illness type, drug therapytype, date of surgery, type of surgery, etc.), and so on. The amount ofinformation included in the provisioning information generated at step616 can depend on the memory resources of the biological sensor 102, thefunction of the biological sensor 102, usage preferences of theclinician (e.g., ability to recall a short history of sensor data), andso forth.

Once provisioning information has been generated, the sensor managementsystem 304 (or the computing device 202) can proceed to step 618 andprovide the provisioning information to the biological sensor 102. Thebiological sensor 102 can then begin to monitor one or more biologicalconditions of the patient at step 620. Such conditions can be determinedfrom an algorithm provided to (or pre-programmed in) the biologicalsensor 102. In one embodiment, the algorithm can detect that sensormeasurements exceed a specific threshold or a threshold range. In otherembodiments, the algorithm can detect sensor data trends, erratic orrapid changes, and/or predict future outcomes. At step 622, thebiological sensor 102 can provide the sensor management system 304 (orthe computing device 202) information relating to detection ofbiological conditions monitored by the biological sensor 102, includingwithout limitations, sensor data measurements, measurements exceeding aspecific threshold or threshold range, trends in sensor data, erratic orrapid changes in sensor data, predicted adverse biological conditions,and so on. Such information can be provided to the sensor managementsystem 304 (or the computing device 202) with time stamps (e.g., time ofday: hours/minutes/second, date: month/day/year).

If trend information is not provided at step 622, the sensor managementsystem 304 (or the computing device 202) can be configured at step 624to analyze the sensor data to detect trends, erratic or rapid changesand so on. The sensor management system 304 (or the computing device202) can also be configured to report a status of biological conditionsof the patient 100 to clinicians. For example, if no adverse biologicalconditions have been detected, the clinician can be provided a historyof the measured sensor data in a status report that indicates no adversebiological conditions were detected. If, on the other hand, one or moreadverse biological conditions were detected, the clinician can beprovided with a detailed report that includes sensor data that exceededone or more thresholds, time stamp information associated with thesensor data, and so on. The sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can also be configured to provide trendinformation if available. If adverse biological conditions are notpresently detected, but trend information predicts a future adversecondition, then the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can provide such information to the clinician to enable theclinician to take preemptive action to avoid such adverse condition fromoccurring.

At steps 626-628, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can monitor placement of another new biological sensor 102on the patient 100. If another new biological sensor 102 is notdetected, the sensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202)can proceed to step 620 and repeat the processes previously described.If, however, another new biological sensor 102 is detected, the sensormanagement system 304 (or the computing device 202) can proceed to step628 to obtain a model number, serial number or other identification datafrom the new biological sensor 102 to determine if the new sensor is ofthe same type and function as the previous sensor. Additionally, thesensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) can obtainpatient identification data from the new biological sensor 102, whichthe biological sensor may have obtained from a wrist band of the patientincluding an RFID, the biometric sensor 409 of FIG. 4, or by patientinformation provided to the biological sensor 102 by way of thecomputing device 202 of the clinician as depicted in FIG. 2B.

If the new biological sensor 102 is the same as the previous sensor andhas been coupled to the same patient, then the sensor management system304 (or the computing device 202) can proceed to step 630 and determineif the new biological sensor 102 is a replacement for the previous samesensor. If the new biological sensor 102 is not the same as the previoussensor, a determination can be made whether the new sensor is areplacement sensor by the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) by obtaining information from the new sensor indicating itis a replacement sensor, determining that the new sensor does have inits memory a patient identifier, or by receiving input data from, forexample, the computing device 202 initiated by, for example, aclinician, indicating it is a replacement sensor. If such information isnot provided by the new sensor or the computing device 202, and/or thenew sensor has been coupled to a different patient, then the sensormanagement system 304 (or the computing device 202) can proceed to step606 and perform the same sequence of steps previously described for thesame patient if the new sensor is associated with the same patient, orfor a different patient in which case a new record would be created inthe databases 306 or other storage resources of the sensor managementsystem 304 (or the computing device 202).

Referring back to step 630, in one embodiment, the sensor managementsystem 304 (or the computing device 202) can determine that the newbiological sensor 102 is replacing the previous sensor upon receiving amessage from the computing device 202 of the clinician as noted above.The message can indicate which sensor is being replaced by identifyingthe serial number of the previous sensor in the message and identifyingthe serial number of the new sensor. In another embodiment, the sensormanagement system 304 (or the computing device 202) can determine thatthe new biological sensor 102 is replacing a previous sensor based onthe new biological sensor 102 not being programmed with a patientidentifier. In yet another embodiment, the sensor management system 304(or the computing device 202) can determine that the new biologicalsensor 102 is replacing a previous sensor based on an understanding thattwo of the same type of sensors for the same patient is not commonpractice for the clinician and in such instances detecting a new sensorrepresents a replacement procedure undertaken by the clinician. Itshould be noted that there may be instances when a new biological sensorof the same type will not be considered a replacement sensor. Forexample, a clinician may wish to use the same sensor in multiplelocations of a patient's body. Such exceptions can be noted by theclinician using the computing device 202. In yet another embodiment, thesensor management system 304 (or the computing device 202) can determinethat the new biological sensor 102 is replacing a previous sensor basedon a utilization period of the previous sensor expiring or detectingthat the previous sensor is damaged or malfunctioning. Other suitabledetection methods for determining a replacement of sensors arecontemplated by the subject disclosure.

Once a replacement event is detected, the sensor management system 304(or the computing device 202) can proceed to step 634 and decommissionthe previous sensor. The decommissioning process can represent noting ina record of the patient 100 that the serial number of the biologicalsensor 102 being replaced has been decommissioned. Once the sensor isdecommissioned, the sensor management system 304 (or the computingdevice 202) can be configured to ignore sensor data from thedecommissioned sensor if such data were to be provided. The sensormanagement system 304 (or the computing device 202) can then proceed tostep 610 to obtain historical sensor data produced by the previoussensor and any predecessor sensors. The sensor management system 304 (orthe computing device 202) can then proceed to perform subsequent stepsas previously described. The sensor management system 304 (or thecomputing device 202) can be provisioned to provide the new biologicalsensor 102 some or all of the obtained historical sensor data of one ormore previous sensors for local storage, enabling retrieval by thecomputing device 202 if desired. It is further noted that the steps ofmethod 600 can be adapted so that the sensors 102 (new or old) canproactively (e.g., without polling by the sensor management system 304or the computing device 202) initiate communications with the sensormanagement system 304 or the computing device 202 and provide updates asneeded. Such a process can be pre-programmed into the sensors 102 or ascript or software can be provided to the sensors 102 by the sensormanagement system 304 or the computing device 202 to enable a proactivecommunication process.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing embodiments can be implementedand executed in whole or in part by the biological sensor 102, thecomputing device 202, the sensor management system 304, or anycombination thereof. It is further appreciated that the biologicalsensor 102, the computing device 202, the sensor management system 304,or any combination thereof, can be adapted to in whole or in part to useone or more signal profiles for detecting a biological condition. Thesignal profiles can be, for example, time domain or frequency domainprofiles, which can be used to detect biological conditions.Additionally, a signal profile can be specific to each user. That is, asignal profile can be determined for a specific patient 100 accordinghistorical sensor data (e.g., EKG data, spectrometer data, etc.)collected from the patient 100. Accordingly, a clinician 101 canconfigure a biological sensor 102 to be tailored to the patient's 100clinical history rather than utilizing a signal profile applied to thegeneral population.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 6, it isto be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. For example, method 600 can be adapted so thatthe sensor management system 304 or the computing device 202 tracks GPScoordinates of patients 100 using a location receiver 416 of thebiological sensor 102. GPS data can be used, for example, to analyze theactivities of the patient 100 and in some instances such activities maybe used to analyze the sensor data. For example, the GPS coordinate datamay indicate that a patient was walking or jogging. Such information canbe used to distinguish sensor data taken at rest versus otheractivities. Orientation and motion data produced by the orientationsensor 420 and motion sensor 418 can be used to more accurately assess a3D position of the patient 100, and a level of activity of the patient100 (e.g., lying down, running in place, sitting, etc.). By furtherrefining the activity of the patient 100 with 3D positioninginformation, the sensor management system 304 can more precisely analyzesensor data obtained from one or more biological sensors 102 coupled toa patient 100.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

Now turning to FIG. 8A, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a method 800 for monitoring a plurality ofbiological states in accordance with various aspects of the subjectdisclosure is shown. Method 800 can be performed with one or moreindividual biological sensors 102 or one or more biological sensors 102integrated in a material that couples in whole or in part to a body partof a patient 100 as illustrated in FIGS. 8B-8E. For example, anembodiment of an arm sleeve 832 is depicted in FIG. 8B, an embodiment ofa leg sleeve 842 is depicted in FIG. 8C, and an embodiment of a sock 852is depicted in FIG. 8D. Some of the biological sensors 102 shown in thearm sleeve 832, the leg sleeve 842, and/or the sock 852 can be on theback side or other locations not visible in FIGS. 8B-8E. In someembodiments, multiple instances of the embodiments of FIGS. 8B-8E can beused in different body parts or segments of a patient 100 to performdifferential measurements. For example, multiple instances of a sock 852can be used as depicted in FIG. 8D. Similarly, multiple instances of thearm sleeve 832 and leg sleeve 842 can be used as depicted in FIG. 8E.

Each biological sensor 102 integrated in arm sleeve 832, leg sleeve 842and/or sock 852 can be powered from a local power supply 414 that isintegrated in the arm sleeve 832, leg sleeve 842 and/or sock 852. Thelocal power supply 414 can be as shown in FIG. 4 (utilizing batteries orsome other form of energy harvesting, e.g., kinetic energy, body heat,etc.). Alternatively, or in combination with a local power supply, eachbiological sensor 102 integrated in arm sleeve 832, leg sleeve 842and/or sock 852 can be powered from a tethered connection to a DC powerline not shown in FIGS. 8B-8E. The arm sleeve 832, the leg sleeve 842,and/or the sock 852 can be constructed of an elastic material such asnylon, cotton, wool, silk, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments,the arm sleeve 832, the leg sleeve 842, and/or the sock 852 can be splitin half resulting in two ends that can be attachable or detachable withVelcro® or other suitable materials which enable the arm sleeve 832, theleg sleeve 842, and/or the sock 852 to be wrapped around certain bodysegments. The arm sleeve 832, the leg sleeve 842, and/or the sock 852can also include an opening 834, which can be used by a clinician toextract blood samples, insert an IV catheter, perform measurements orotherwise gain access to the antecubital fossa. Openings can be placedin other locations of the arm sleeve 832, the leg sleeve 842, and/or thesock 852 for similar or different purposes.

In some embodiments, the arm sleeve 832, the leg sleeve 842, and/or thesock 852 can each have an integrated blood pressure measurement system836, 844, 846, 854 for performing blood pressure measurements. Thebiological sensors 102 located in different areas of the arm sleeve 832,the leg sleeve 842, and/or the sock 852 can be configured to make director indirect contact with the skin of the patient 100 to measuredifferent biological states of a patient 100 (e.g., blood pressure,temperature sensor, perspiration sensor, pulse rate sensor, glucoselevel sensor, SpO2 sensor, ECG/EKG, etc.) and/or to apply drug deliveryutilizing the drug delivery system 408 described earlier in relation toFIG. 4. The embedded blood pressure measurement systems 836, 844, 846,854 (and/or other biological sensors 102 integrated in the arm sleeve832, the leg sleeve 842, and/or the sock 852) can be coupled to adisplay 405 (e.g., LED display) that provides a visual reading of abiological measurement such as a blood pressure reading 838 (or otherreadings, e.g., temperature, pulse rate, etc.), which can bedistinguished from other measurements with an indicator 840 (e.g., “BP”in the upper right corner) as illustrated in FIG. 8B. The controller 406of the one or more biological sensor(s) 102 integrated in the arm sleeve832, the leg sleeve 842, and/or the sock 852 can be configured topresent different biological measurements (e.g., temperature, SpO2,etc.) by changing the indicator 840 on the upper right of the display405.

The one or more biological sensors 102 included in the arm sleeve 832,the leg sleeve 842, and/or the sock 852 can also be configured tocommunicate (via the transceiver 102—see FIG. 4) by a tethered orwireless interface with each other and/or other biological sensors 102not coupled or integrated in the arm sleeve 832, the leg sleeve 842,and/or the sock 852. These other biological sensors 102 can include, forexample, biological sensors 102 coupled to the chest and thighs of thepatient 100 as depicted in FIG. 8B. The patient 100 can be provided awristband 264 such as depicted in FIG. 2M, which can be equipped with aradio frequency identification (RFID) tag or other suitablecommunication device. The wristband 264 can include information aboutthe patient 100 (e.g., name, age, medical records, etc.), which the oneor more biological sensors 102 included in the arm sleeve 832, the legsleeve 842, and/or the sock 852 can be configured to wirelessly obtainfrom the wristband 264.

With the foregoing embodiments in mind for FIGS. 8B-8E, method 800 canbegin at step 802 where a clinician 101 places a biological sensor 102on a patient 100 as shown in FIG. 2A, or inserts on a patient's limb (orwraps around a patient's limb with Velcro®, belt(s) or other implements)an arm sleeve 832, leg sleeve 842, and/or sock 852 having one or moreintegrated biological sensors 102 as depicted in FIGS. 8B-8E (somebiological sensors 102 may not be visible). Whether used individually orintegrated in an arm sleeve 832, leg sleeve 842, and/or sock 852, thebiological sensors 102 can be provisioned as described earlier by theflowchart of FIG. 6. Once provisioned, the biological sensors 102 can beconfigured to monitor a plurality of biological states (e.g.,temperature, perspiration, pulse rate, blood pressure, respiration rate,glucose levels in the blood, SpO2, ECG/EKG, etc.).

In one embodiment, individual biological sensors 102 and/or biologicalsensors 102 integrated in the arm sleeve 832, the leg sleeve 842, and/orthe sock 852 can be provided a plurality of algorithms at step 804 fordetecting a corresponding plurality of biological conditions (e.g.,abnormal blood pressure, abnormal glucose, heart attack, arrhythmia,abnormal EKG, etc.). The algorithms can be provided to the biologicalsensor(s) 102 by the computing device 202 or sensor management system304 over a wired or wireless interface. In other embodiments, thebiological sensor(s) 102 can be preconfigured with the algorithms at atime when the biological sensor(s) 102 are manufactured. The pluralityof algorithms can be used to process sensor data generated by differentsensors of the biological sensor(s) 102 to detect one or more biologicalconditions.

The individual biological sensors 102 and/or those integrated in the armsleeve 832, the leg sleeve 842, and/or the sock 852 can be configured togenerate positioning information for each of one or more body parts (orsegments) such as, for example, an arm, leg, back, hip, or other bodypart. At step 806, positioning information can be generated frommultiple biological sensors 102, each located at a different segment ofa patient's body. For example, the arm sleeve 832 may have onebiological sensor 102 (measuring, for example, blood pressure) locatedat a bicep and another biological sensor 102 located at the forearm ofthe patient 100 for performing a different measurement (e.g., pulserate, temperature, etc.). The biological sensor 102 located at the bicepcan provide positioning information relating to the bicep, while thebiological sensor 102 located at the forearm can provide positioninginformation relating to the forearm.

Each biological sensor 102 can include a motion sensor 418 (see FIG. 4)which can sense motion in three-dimensional space and thereby providepositioning information in relation to a segment of a body part wherethe biological sensor 102 is located. The motion sensor 418 can includea gyroscope and an accelerometer which together can be used to generatepositioning information in three-dimensional space. In some embodiments,the biological sensors 102 may also include an orientation sensor 420(see FIG. 4) to generate orientation information (northwest, southwest,etc.) of a body segment. The orientation information can be part of thepositioning information.

The biological sensors 102 located at the bicep and forearm can beconfigured to share positioning information with each other wirelesslyor by a tethered interface. Similarly, biological sensors 102 can beplaced at different segments of the leg sleeve 842 or sock 852. From thecombined positioning information of the bicep and forearm one or bothbiological sensors 102 can determine that an arm of the patient 100 isat a rest position, in motion, is bent, is not bent, is not heldupwards, is held upwards, or has some other orientation or motion.Similar determinations can be made by biological sensors 102 of the legsleeve 842, and sock 852 by sharing position information betweenbiological sensors 102 integrated therein. The combined positioninginformation can be used by the biological sensors 102 to determine atstep 808 whether the arm of the patient 100 is in a desirable positionand at a state of rest to perform, for example, a blood pressuremeasurement and/or pulse rate measurement.

The biological sensors 102 can also share biological states with eachother. For example, a biological sensor 102 that measures pulse rate canshare its measurements with a biological sensor 102 in the bloodpressure measurement system 836 to determine if the patient 100 is in adesirable biological state to perform a blood pressure measurement. Forexample, suppose the biological sensor 102 performing the pulse ratemeasurement has in its memory banks the normal pulse rate of the patient100, which is 100 beats per minute (as shown in FIG. 7D). Furthersuppose that the pulse rate presently measured is 120 beats per minute.The pulse rate information provided to the biological sensor 102 thatmeasures blood pressure by the biological sensor 102 performing thepulse rate measurement can further identify that the pulse rate is 20beats above the normal pulse rate threshold of the patient 100.Alternatively, the biological sensor 102 that measures blood pressurecan wirelessly obtain the normal pulse rate threshold of the patient 100from information stored in the wristband 264, and thereby determine thatthe pulse rate of the patient 100 is 20 beats above normal.

Accordingly, if the arm, leg, or foot is not at rest, pointing upwards,bent, or in an otherwise undesirable position, and/or a relatedbiological state of the patient 100 is undesirable (e.g., pulse rateabove normative threshold), then the biological sensor 102 that performsblood pressure measurements can be configured at step 808 to postponethe measurement until the patient 100 stabilizes, is in a rest position,has his/her arm, leg, foot in a desirable position, and/or the relatedbiological state is desirable. When a measurement is postponed, thebiological sensor 102 can be configured to initiate a timer at step 810to determine the duration of postponement. The biological sensor 102 canbe configured with a timeout period (e.g., 3 mins, 5 mins, 15 mins, 30mins, 1 hr, 2 hrs, etc.), which can be provided by the computing device202 of the clinician 101 or the sensor management system 304.

The timeout period can be chosen according to the biological state thatneeds to be measured. For example, it may be desirable that a bloodpressure reading not be postponed more than 1 hour based on a medicalhistory of the patient, which can be obtained from records of thepatient stored in the wristband 264, or provided by the computing device202, workstation 266 or sensor management system 304. If the patient 100does not have his/her arm, leg, or foot at rest and in desirableorientation and/or one or more related biological states are notdesirable for more than an hour, then the timer of the biological sensor102 can trigger at step 810 and generate a message at step 812descriptive of a positioning and/or biological state issue. The messagecan be presented at the display 405 of the biological sensor 102 asdepicted in FIGS. 2L and 8B-8E. The message presented can be an errorcode, text message descriptive of the issue, or some other form of adisplayable indicator. Alternatively, or in combination, the biologicalsensor 102 can be configured to transmit the message over a tethered orwireless interface to the computing device 202, workstation 266, orsensor management system 304.

It will be appreciated that the sharing of positioning information andbiological states between biological sensors 102 can be performed forany combination of biological sensors 102. Sharing positioninginformation and biological states can be used by each biological sensor102 to determine when measuring a biological state will provide accurateor inaccurate measurements. Such a determination can be useful forreducing false-positive detection of adverse biological conditions.

Referring back to step 810, when the position of the patient 100 and/orrelated biological state(s) will not result in an inaccurate measurementof another biological state, the biological sensor 102 can be configuredat step 812 to begin monitoring the biological state (e.g., temperature,blood pressure, SpO2, etc.) of the patient 100 for detection at step 814of a biological condition that can result in a biological abnormality(e.g., fever, hypertension, hypoxemia, etc.). Steps 812-814 can beinitiated by the biological sensor 102 responsive to the computingdevice 202 or the sensor management system 304 providing instructions tothe biological sensor 102 responsive to receiving information (e.g.,positioning information and/or related biological states) from one ormore biological sensors 102 coupled to the patient 100 that enable thecomputing device 202 or the sensor management system 304 to determinethat the patient 100 is in a desirable state of rest, position, and/orrelated biological state(s). Alternatively, the biological sensor 102can be configured to initiate steps 812-814 once the biological sensor102 has made its own determination from information provided by otherbiological sensors 102 (e.g., positioning information and/or relatedbiological states) that the patient 100 is in a desirable state of rest,position, and/or related biological state(s).

Once the biological sensor 102 begins to process sensor data at step 812responsive to detecting a favorable position and/or favorable relatedbiological state(s), an adverse biological condition can be detected atstep 814 according to one or more thresholds or signal profilesprogrammed into the biological sensor 102, which enable detection of abiological abnormality such as, for example, an abnormal temperature ofthe patient 100, an abnormal heart rate of the patient 100, an abnormalblood pressure of the patient 100, an abnormal SpO2 reading of thepatient 100, an abnormal glucose level of the patient 100, an abnormalECG/EKG reading, and so on. Provisioning a biological sensor 102 withthresholds and/or signal profiles which may be specific to a patient 100was described earlier in relation to FIGS. 6 and 7A-7D.

If an adverse biological condition is detected at step 814, thebiological sensor 102 can be configured at step 816 to present thepatient 100 and/or clinician 101 with one or more mitigation steps toaddress the biological condition. The mitigation steps presented can beprocedures and/or treatments which can be displayed at the biologicalsensor 102, on a wristband 264, on a display device 265 affixed to awall or other fixture, at the computing device 202, or at a workstation266 as previously described according to the illustrations of FIGS.2L-2P. If at step 818 a determination is made that the biologicalcondition can potentially give rise to another biological condition, thebiological sensor 102 can be configured at step 820 to monitor anotherbiological condition. The determination that another biologicalcondition can result from the occurrence of the first biologicalcondition can be made by an algorithm executed by the biological sensor102, an algorithm executed by the computing device 202, an algorithmexecuted by the sensor management system 304, combinations thereof, oraccording to input provided by the clinician 101 via the computingdevice 202, the sensor management system 304, or the workstation 266.

Algorithms can be used to predict a potential occurrence of a subsequentbiological condition based on a protocol defined by health professionalsor institutions, and/or a medical history of the patient 100. Forexample, protocols may exist for predicting side effects from an onsetof a fever, a heart attack, a glucose imbalance, hypertension, and soon. Such protocols can be adapted to a patient's medical history. Forexample, a patient 100 may have a medical history showing a recurringpattern such that when the patient 100 experiences one biologicalcondition an alternate biological condition has a tendency to occur. Aclinician or system can adapt standard protocols in whole or in partaccording to the medical history of the patient 100.

In other embodiments, a clinician 101 can input a request to monitor anew biological condition in response to a first biological condition.The clinician 101 can enter this request by way of a user interface ofthe computing device 202, the sensor management system 304, or theworkstation 266. Any of the foregoing devices used by the clinician 101can be configured to instruct the biological sensor 102 at step 820 toprocess sensor data of a different biological state to monitor for apotential occurrence of a similar or different biological condition atstep 822.

It will be appreciated that the biological sensor 102 can be configuredto transition from monitoring one biological condition to another in anyorder. The sequence or order of biological conditions monitored may bedefined by standard or customized protocol(s) referred to earlier. Anyof these protocols can be executed in whole or in part by the biologicalsensor 102, the computing device 202, the sensor management system 304,or any combinations thereof. Each protocol can define an order ofprocessing biological states (e.g., temperature→blood pressure→EKG) andcorresponding biological conditions (e.g., fever→high or low bloodpressure heart conditions).

Although the flowchart of FIG. 8A shows the biological sensor 102 beingconfigured to monitor one biological condition after another, suchillustrations are non-limiting. For example, method 800 can be adaptedto configure the biological sensor 102 to simultaneously monitorcombinations of biological states (e.g., temperature and blood pressure)and corresponding biological conditions (e.g., fever and abnormal bloodpressure). Method 800 can be further adapted to detect one or moreabnormalities and direct the biological sensor 102 to monitor othercombinations of biological states and corresponding biologicalconditions. Method 800 can also be adapted to continue monitoring one ormore biological states and one or more biological conditions previouslydetected while contemporaneously monitoring one or more new biologicalstates and corresponding one or more biological conditions.

In other embodiments, method 800 can be adapted to track and managecombinations of biological sensors 102 and configure each biologicalsensor 102 to monitor one or more biological states and correspondingbiological conditions. In this embodiment, method 800 can be adapted todetect one or more abnormalities from combinations of biological sensors102 and direct one or more of the biological sensors 102 to monitor oneor more other biological states and corresponding one or more otherbiological conditions. In one embodiment, the coordination and controlof multiple biological sensors 102 can be performed by the computingdevice 202, the sensor management system 304, or the workstation 266. Inanother embodiment, multiple biological sensors 102 can be configured toform a wireless network amongst themselves and coordinate monitoring anddetection of one or more biological conditions according to a protocol.In this configuration, the coordination can be based on a master-slavearrangement (i.e., a master biological sensor coordinating slavebiological sensors), or in another arrangement, the multiple biologicalsensors 102 can form a mesh network where coordination is performed by acooperative exchange of messages and sensor data between the biologicalsensors 102 to execute one or more protocols.

It will be further appreciated that method 800 can be adapted to assertone or more timers as previously described in the illustration of FIG.2Q when one or more biological conditions are detected. Additionally,one or more timers can be asserted while monitoring one or more newbiological states and corresponding biological conditions. The timerscan be presented as previously illustrated in FIGS. 2L-2P.

Referring back to step 822, when a subsequent biological condition isdetected, a presentation of mitigation steps can be provided to thepatient 100 and/or clinician 101 as previously described. If, however, asubsequent biological condition is not detected at step 822, and aprevious biological condition is determined to no longer be present atstep 824, then the biological sensor 102 can be configured to restartthe monitoring process from step 806 as previously described. Thetransition from step 824 to step 806 can occur in instances, forexample, when the mitigation steps of step 816 achieve a goal oferadicating the biological condition previously detected at step 814.

It will be appreciated that the illustrations provided in the flowchartof method 800 are non-limiting. For example, method 800 can be adaptedso that when a first biological abnormality is detected at step 814according to a first monitored biological state, a second biologicalstate monitored at step 820 may have similarities to the firstbiological state. For example, the first biological state monitored atstep 812 may be a temperature of the patient 100. At step 820, thesecond biological state may be a temperature measurement performed attwo or more other body locations by way of multiple biological sensors102 or one biological sensor 102 having access to each location. In yetanother embodiment the second biological state monitored at step 820 maydiffer from the first biological state monitored at step 812 only by thefrequency of measurements. For example, when an onset of a fever isdetected based on an hourly measurement at step 812, monitoring atemperature of the patient 100 may be increased at step 820 to a higherfrequency (e.g., once every 15 mins or less). Although the biologicalstate is monitored more frequently at step 820, the biological state(e.g., temperature) being monitored is still the same.

Method 800 can also be adapted so that the type of second biologicalstate monitored at step 820 can be determined by user-input rather thanan automated algorithm obtained by the biological sensor 102. Forexample, a clinician 101 can provide user input at a user interface ofthe computing device 202 (or the workstation 266 or the sensormanagement system 304). The user input can result in instructions beingdirected to the biological sensor 102 to monitor a particular biologicalstate and corresponding a biological abnormality. The instructionsprovided by the clinician 101 via the computing device 202 (or theworkstation 266 or the sensor management system 304) can also identify aprotocol to be followed during the monitoring process. The user inputmay also come from the patient 100 via a user interface (e.g., button ortouch-screen) of the biological sensor 102 or a device communicativelycoupled to the biological sensor 102 (e.g., a mobile phone).

Method 800 can also be adapted to present a state of the biologicalsensor 102 at a user interface of the biological sensor 102, a userinterface of the computing device 202, a user interface of theworkstation 266, or a user interface of the sensor management system304. The state of the biological sensor 102 can include withoutlimitation an indication of any biological conditions that may have beendetected, an identification of the protocol or instructions provided tothe patient 100 and/or clinician, timer(s) associated with one or moredetected adverse biological conditions, and so on.

Method 800 can also be further adapted to cause biological sensors 102to share biological states measured with each other or with thecomputing device 202, workstation 266, or the sensor management system304. The biological states measured can be the same (e.g., temperature,blood pressure, etc.), but at different locations of the patient's bodywhere the biological sensors 102 are located. Differential measurementscan be used to detect abnormalities in one part of the patient's bodythat may not be present at another location. Accordingly, adversebiological conditions may be more readily detected by way ofdifferential measurements. Similarly, disparate biological statesmeasured by different biological sensors 102 (e.g., pulse rate vs. bloodpressure, temperature vs. perspiration) can be shared between biologicalsensors 102 or with the computing device 202, workstation 266, or thesensor management system 304. Such disparate readings can be helpful toa biological sensor 102 to determine when it may or may not be desirableto perform a biological measurement of a specific type. Differentialmeasurements of disparate biological states may also be helpful indetecting one or more adverse biological conditions.

Additionally, method 800 can be adapted to cause biological sensors 102to perform biological measurements in a transient manner. For example, ablood pressure measurement system carried by a clinician 101 can beconfigured with one or more wireless transmitters or transceivers thatcan generate a signal that causes biological sensors 102 coupled to thepatient 100 to be triggered to perform a reading and provide suchinformation to the blood pressure measurement system or computing device202, workstation 266 or sensor management system 304. The triggering canbe performed by RF energy received by the biological sensor 102 andharvested to provide the biological sensor 102 sufficient energy toperform a measurement and provide the sensing data to the measurementsystem or computing device 202, workstation 266 or sensor managementsystem 304 over a wireless transmission medium.

It will be appreciated that any of the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure, singly or in combination, can be adapted for use in anon-clinical setting, where individuals monitor their own biologicalstates and mitigate adverse biological conditions accordingly.Additionally, the computing device 202, workstation 266 and/or sensormanagement system 304 can be replaced with a computer, mobilecommunication device (e.g., smartphone, tablet or otherwise) of a userto perform in whole or in part the methods described in the subjectiondisclosure.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 8A, itis to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter isnot limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

Now turning to FIG. 8F, a block diagram illustrating an example,non-limiting embodiment of a method 860 for drug or other substancedelivery in accordance with various aspects of the subject disclosure isshown. Method 860 can begin with step 862 where a substance deliverysystem monitors an input signal at step 862. The substance deliverysystem can utilize a portion or all of the components shown for thebiological sensor 102 of FIG. 4. For example, the substance deliverysystem can include the transceiver 402, the motion sensor 418, thecontroller 406, the UI 401, the memory 404, the drug delivery system408, the biometric sensor 409, and one or more sensors 410. Othervariants of the substance delivery system can be utilized in theapplication of method 860. The substance delivery system can be placedon an individual (similar to a patch) utilizing an adhesive surface ofthe substance delivery system, which is adapted to make contact with theskin of the individual. The substance delivery system can be placed onany portion of the user's body as shown by the illustrations of FIG. 1.Alternatively, or in combination, the substance delivery system can beembedded in a sleeve or sock as illustrated in FIGS. 8B-8E, or via someother wearable garment utilized by the user.

In one embodiment, the input signal can be generated responsive to userinput applied to the UI 401 by way of a depression of a button of theinput device 403, or by way of sensing a finger (or other body part) ofthe user via a touch sensitive interface of the input device 403 ordisplay 405 as previously described. In another embodiment, the inputsignal can comprise an environmental signal that can be used fordetecting an environmental condition that may have an adverse effect onthe user. For example, the environmental signal can comprise a signalgenerated by the motion sensor 418 that can facilitate detection ofcertain motion of the individual that may cause motion sickness. Inother embodiments, the environmental signal can comprise a signalgenerated by one or more of the sensors 410 indicating a level of airparticulates, which may cause an ailment to an individual. The inputsignal in other embodiments can further provide biometric informationgenerated by the biometric sensor 409, which can be used to identify theindividual. Any of the foregoing embodiments of the input signal can beused singly or in any combination when applying the embodiments ofmethod 860.

Upon detecting the input signal at step 864, the substance deliverysystem can determine if the input signal is an environmental signal oruser input. Such a determination can be made, for example, bydetermining whether the input signal is provided by the UI 401, one ofthe sensors 410, or by the motion sensor 418. If the input signalcomprises user input, the substance delivery system can detect from theinput signal at step 872 that the user input comprises a request for adosage of a substance contained in the substance delivery system. Thesubstance can comprise a prescribed medication or an over-the-countersubstance.

For example, the substance delivery system can be a nicotine patch(adapted to the embodiments of method 860) that the individual can useto control a nicotine addiction. The nicotine patch can supplyincremental dosages that can assist an individual in the process ofbreaking a smoking or tobacco chewing habit. When a user of a nicotinepatch feels, for example, that s/he is experiencing a craving for acigarette or chewing tobacco, the user can press a button (on the inputdevice 403) of the nicotine patch or tap the nicotine patch (by way of atouch sensitive sensor of the input device 403). The user inputinitiated by the user is detected by the input device 403, whichgenerates the input signal detected at step 872.

The foregoing embodiments can be applied to other substance deliverysystems such as, for example, a motion sickness patch, an anti-allergenpatch, and/or other substance delivery applications. In the case of amotion sickness patch or an anti-allergen patch, the user can apply userinput to the input device 403 to generate an input signal indicative ofa request for a dosage to prevent the user's ailment.

Referring back to step 866, if the input signal is instead anenvironmental signal, the substance delivery system can proceed to step868 to process the input signal and detect that the user may beexperiencing an environmental condition that can cause the user toexperience an ailment (e.g., motion sickness, allergy, asthma, etc.).For example, the input signal can originate from motion sensing dataprovided by the motion sensor 418. The substance delivery system can beadapted to detect from the input signal a sequence of movementsexperienced by the user. If, for example, the user is experiencing aswaying motion such as one would experience on a boat, the substancedelivery system can determine from such motion whether the user wouldlikely experience motion sickness.

In other embodiments, for example, method 860 can be adapted so that thesubstance delivery system utilizes the location receiver 416. In thisembodiment, the substance delivery system can be configured to detectfrom the input signal location coordinates provided by the locationreceiver 416 that indicate the user is on land. The substance deliverysystem can also be adapted to utilize the orientation sensor 420, anddetect from the input signal orientation data provided by theorientation sensor 420 and motion sensing data provided by the motionsensor 418, which collectively indicate the user is in an automobilewith a trajectory towards a section of the road with numerous curves,which can cause the user motion sickness. In these embodiments, thesubstance delivery system can be configured to preemptively preventmotion sickness by the user by requesting a dosage with sufficient timeto assist the user before the automobile reaches the curved sections ofthe road.

In other embodiments, the input signal can represent signals from one ormore of the sensors 410 which detect one or more types of airparticulates. For example, one or more sensors 410 can be configured todetect airborne pollens of certain trees, grasses and weeds, dust miteparticles, mold spores, cat and/or dog dander, latex dust, or otherparticulates that can cause an allergy. One or more other sensors 410can be configured to detect air particulates that indicate a level ofair pollution (dust, soot, diesel exhaust, wood smoke, etc.) that cancause an onset of asthma. The subject disclosure contemplates otherembodiments for monitoring other environmental conditions which cancause the user an ailment.

When an environmental condition is detected at step 870 that can causethe user an ailment or user input is detected at step 872 requesting adosage to proactively alleviate an ailment experienced by the user, thesubstance delivery system can proceed to step 874 and determine if thedosage requested complies with a dosage policy set by medicalprofessionals, health institutions (e.g., Food and Drug Administration),and/or the vendor of the substance delivery system. The dosage policycan comprise one or more metrics to determine compliance. For example, afirst metric of the dosage policy can comprise a dosage threshold. Thedosage threshold can identify an interval between which deliveries ofthe dosage are allowed.

For instance, if the user of the substance delivery system initiatesmultiple requests for a dosage in a short period of time (e.g., doubletapping the patch or depressing a button repeatedly), the first requestmay be complied with, but subsequent requests may not be accepted. Theinterval applied to the dosage threshold may be determined according tothe amount of the substance provided by each dosage, and the expectedduration of relieve that the dosage would provide the user. Thesubstance delivery system can be adapted with a timer to track timebetween deliveries of dosages to assure the dosage threshold is notexceeded. By preventing multiple dosages within the interval, the vendorof the substance delivery system avoids an overdose condition that maybe harmful to the user and/or may lessen the effectiveness of thesubstance delivery system to address the user's ailment.

In another embodiment, the dosage threshold can comprise a number thatsets a limit on deliveries of the dosage over a certain interval. Forexample, in this embodiment the dosage threshold can set a limit on howmany dosages can be given in a day. For instance, the dosage thresholdcan indicate that not more than 3 doses of a particular substance can beprovided to a user in a 24 hour period. A timer can also be used totrack such a period to avoid exceeding the dosage limit set by thedosage threshold.

If the dosage policy is not satisfied at step 874, the substancedelivery system can be adapted to submit a message indicating that therequest does not comply with the dosage policy. For example, thesubstance delivery system can transmit a wireless message to acommunication device of the user (e.g., mobile phone, computer, tablet)indicating that a request for a dosage has been rejected due tonon-compliance with the dosage policy. Alternatively, or in combination,the substance delivery system can present the message at the display 405of the substance delivery system, or present an audible message (e.g.,synthesized speech, beeps or other sounds). The message can furtherindicate to the user that the user must wait a certain period before thenext dosage can be provided. Alternatively, the message can indicate tothe user that a maximum number of dosages have been provided, and thatthe user must wait 24 hours (or other suitable time period) beforerequesting an additional dosage. In situations where a maximum number ofdoses has not been exceeded, the dosage request can be queued by thesubstance delivery system, and upon expiration of the interval timer,the dosage can be provided.

Referring back to step 874, if the dosage request complies with thedosage policy, the substance delivery system can proceed to step 878 anddeliver the dosage via the drug delivery system 408. In this step, thesubstance delivery system can be adapted to verify that the dosage wassuccessfully delivered by verifying that a microfluidic gate of the drugdelivery system 408 was actuated or opened. Alternatively, or incombination, the substance delivery system can verify that the dosagewas delivered according to the monitoring steps 880-890 as will bedescribed shortly. At step 880, the substance delivery system can befurther configured to obtain sensing data to determine the effectivenessof the dosage. The sensing data can be obtained immediately or after atime period when the dosage is expected to take effect. The sensing datacan be processed by the substance delivery system to determine at step884 whether a biological condition controllable by the dosage hasimproved or at least not worsened. Steps 880 and 884 can be performedover a gradual period of time to determine if an improvement trend (ortrend for maintaining a desired state of the biological condition) isdetected. If there is no improvement or a worsening of the biologicalcondition, the substance delivery system can proceed to step 886 toincrease the dosage 886. The increase can be determined by the severityof the biological condition, its duration, and any other factors thatmay be pertinent to such a determination.

The increase can also be determined by a drug delivery protocol, whichthe substance delivery system can be configured to follow. In someembodiments, for example, the drug delivery protocol can be executed bythe substance delivery system with a look-up table that can be indexedby a number of variables including, but not limited to, severity of thebiological condition, frequency of occurrence of the biologicalcondition, duration of the biological condition, historical datarelating to the biological condition, medical records of the user, andso on. The increase in dosage can, however, be moderated by the dosagepolicy of step 874. For example, the dosage policy can dictate thatdosages cannot be increased more than a certain number of times perminute, hour, day week, and so on. A history of dosages can be used todetermine if the increase complies with the dosage policy.

Alternatively, if at step 884, it is determined that the biologicalcondition has improved substantially, the substance delivery system canproceed to step 888 and decrease the dosage. The amount of the decreasecan also be determined by the drug delivery protocol and the level ofimprovement in the biological condition. If the improvement is at anormal or expected level, the substance delivery system can beconfigured at step 890 to maintain the dosage level as is. If the dosagelevel is decreased, however, the substance delivery system can beconfigured to determine whether the decreased dosage conforms to thedosage policy. For example, the dosage policy can set a limit on howmany times a dosage can be decreased at certain periods (minute, hour,day week, and so on). It is further noted when an adjustment is made tofuture dosages, the dosage policy can be adjusted also to accommodatethe adjustment. For example, if the dosage is decreased, the dosagepolicy may be adjusted to increase the frequency of dosages providedduring an interval (e.g., minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc.). Similarly,if the dosage is increased, the dosage policy may be adjusted todecrease the frequency of dosages provided during an interval (e.g.,minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc.).

Referring back to step 884, a state of the biological condition can alsobe determined qualitatively without sensing data by obtaining additionaluser input from the user. For example, the substance delivery system canbe configured to request that the user provide an indication whether theuser is feeling better. The request can be presented at the display 405,or by way of an audible signal generated by the audio system 407 (e.g.,two beeps representing a status request). The user in response to therequest can provide at step 882 user input at the UI 401 by tapping atouch-sensitive feature of the input device 403 according to a knownsequence (for indicating the user is feeling the same, better or worse),depressing a button of the input device 403 (according to the knownsequence), speaking (“I'm feeling better”, “I'm not feeling better”, I'mfeeling worse”) which is detectable by the audio system 407, or anycombinations thereof. Alternatively, the user can provide the additionaluser input at step 882 to indicate how the user is feeling without beingprompted by the substance delivery system. Steps 880 and 882 can also beperformed together to increase a confidence level that the biologicalcondition has or has not improved.

It will be appreciated that method 860 can be adapted in other ways thatdo not depart from the scope of the subject disclosure. For example,method 860 can be adapted so that the sensor management system 304, thecomputing device 201, or a computer or portable communication device ofthe user (e.g., a cell phone, tablet, etc.) performs some or all of thesteps of method 860. For instance, the sensor management system 304, thecomputing device 201, or a computer or portable communication device ofthe user can receive an input signal from the substance delivery system,determine whether the input signal is an environmental signal, a userinput, or both, and determine therefrom whether a dosage is required aspreviously described. The sensor management system 304, the computingdevice 201, or a computer or portable communication device of the usercan then determine if providing the dosage complies with the dosagepolicy and from this determination provide the dosage or reject therequest for the dosage and provide a message to equipment of the user(e.g., the substance deliver device, computer or cell phone of the user)indicating a reason for rejecting the dosage and/or other instructions.

The sensor management system 304, the computing device 201, or acomputer or portable communication device of the user can also beconfigured to obtain sensor data and/or user input initiated by the userto determine if the dosage provided has improved the biologicalcondition of the user. Upon determining whether or not the dosageimproves the user's biological condition, the sensor management system304, the computing device 201, or a computer or portable communicationdevice of the user can further adjust an amount of the substanceprovided in future dosages (if such adjustment is complied with thedosage policy), or leave the amount of the substance provided in futuredosages as is. When an adjustment is made, in some embodiments, thesensor management system 304, the computing device 201, or a computer orportable communication device of the user can also be configured todirect the substance delivery system to adjust the amount of substancedelivered per dosage.

Method 860 can also be adapted in other ways. For example, method 860can be adapted to not obtain sensing data or user input to determinewhether the dosage has improved the biological condition of the user,thereby removing a need for steps 880 through 890. Alternatively, method860 can be adapted to receive and process user input from the user atstep 882 or obtain sensor data at step 880, but not both. Additionally,the embodiments of method 860 can be combined in whole or in part withother embodiments described in the subject disclosure. Other adaptationsof method 860 are contemplated by the subject disclosure.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 8F, itis to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter isnot limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 900 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods described above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the devices depicted in the drawings of thesubject disclosure. In some embodiments, the machine may be connected(e.g., using a network 926) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in a server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 900 may include a processor (or controller) 902(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit(GPU, or both), a main memory 904 and a static memory 906, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 908. The computer system 900 mayfurther include a display unit 910 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), a flat panel, or a solid state display). The computer system 900may include an input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 914 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 916, a signal generationdevice 918 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 920. In distributed environments, the embodiments described inthe subject disclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units910 controlled by two or more computer systems 900. In thisconfiguration, presentations described by the subject disclosure may inpart be shown in a first of the display units 910, while the remainingportion is presented in a second of the display units 910.

The disk drive unit 916 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 922 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 924) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 924 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 904, the static memory 906, and/or within theprocessor 902 during execution thereof by the computer system 900. Themain memory 904 and the processor 902 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable gate array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) including, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. It is furthernoted that a computing device such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations or methods may perform such operations directly or indirectlyby way of one or more intermediate devices directed by the computingdevice.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 922 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure. The term “non-transitory” as in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage includes without limitation memories, drives,devices and anything tangible but not a signal per se.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth®, WiFi, Zigbee®), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 900.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all of the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

Less than all of the steps or functions described with respect to theexemplary processes or methods can also be performed in one or more ofthe exemplary embodiments. Further, the use of numerical terms todescribe a device, component, step or function, such as first, second,third, and so forth, is not intended to describe an order or functionunless expressly stated so. The use of the terms first, second, thirdand so forth, is generally to distinguish between devices, components,steps or functions unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, oneor more devices or components described with respect to the exemplaryembodiments can facilitate one or more functions, where the facilitating(e.g., facilitating access or facilitating establishing a connection)can include less than every step needed to perform the function or caninclude all of the steps needed to perform the function.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Itshould be understood that the processor can be multiple processors,which can include distributed processors or parallel processors in asingle machine or multiple machines. The processor can be used insupporting a virtual processing environment. The virtual processingenvironment may support one or more virtual machines representingcomputers, servers, or other computing devices. In such virtualmachines, components such as microprocessors and storage devices may bevirtualized or logically represented. The processor can include a statemachine, application specific integrated circuit, and/or programmablegate array including a Field PGA. In one or more embodiments, when aprocessor executes instructions to perform “operations”, this caninclude the processor performing the operations directly and/orfacilitating, directing, or cooperating with another device or componentto perform the operations.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium,comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor,facilitate performance of operations, comprising: detecting an inputsignal by a sensing device coupled to a body part of an individual,wherein the input signal is indicative of at least one of a request bythe individual or a first determination that an environmental conditionmeasurement sensed by the sensing device has been detected; determiningwhether to deliver to the body part of the individual a dosage of asubstance for treating motion sickness, the substance stored in amicrofluidic system of the sensing device based on: the at least one ofthe request or the first determination; and a second determinationindicative of whether delivering the dosage satisfies a time requirementof a dosage policy, the time requirement comprising a minimum amount oftime required between consecutive deliveries of the dosage, wherein theminimum amount of time is based at least in part on an amount of thesubstance that will lessen an effectiveness of the substance whendelivered to the individual; and responsive to determining whether todeliver the dosage: initiating, by the microfluidic system, delivery ofthe dosage of the substance to the body part of the individual;obtaining, by the sensing device, sensing data associated with abiological measurement of the individual; and determining from thebiological measurement whether the dosage has improved a biologicalcondition of the individual adjustable by the dosage.
 2. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the input signal isgenerated based on the request, the request being received at a userinterface of the sensing device responsive to a user input being appliedto the user interface.
 3. The machine-readable storage medium of claim2, wherein the user input corresponds to an indication by the individualto deliver the dosage.
 4. The machine-readable storage medium of claim1, wherein the environmental condition measurement is generated by anenvironmental sensor of the sensing device.
 5. The machine-readablestorage medium of claim 4, wherein the environmental sensor comprises amotion sensor that generates the environmental condition measurement. 6.The machine-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the determiningfrom the input signal whether to deliver to the body part of theindividual the dosage comprises: detecting from the environmentalcondition measurement a sequence of movements; and determining whetherthe sequence of movements will cause the individual to experience motionsickness.
 7. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein thedetermining that the dosage satisfies the dosage policy comprisesdetermining that the dosage does not exceed a dosage threshold.
 8. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the dosage thresholdcomprises a maximum number of deliveries of the dosage over a timeinterval.
 9. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise generating a message responsive todetermining that delivery of the dosage does not satisfy the dosagepolicy.
 10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein themessage is presented at a user interface of the sensing device or adevice communicatively coupled to the sensing device.
 11. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operationsfurther comprise reducing an amount of the substance at a subsequentdelivery of the dosage responsive to determining that the biologicalcondition has improved.
 12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim1, wherein the operations further comprise increasing an amount of thesubstance at a subsequent delivery of the dosage responsive todetermining that the biological condition has not improved.
 13. Amethod, comprising: detecting, by a substance delivery system coupled toa body part of an individual, an input signal indicative of a firstdetermination that an environmental condition measurement has beensensed by a sensing device of the substance delivery system; determiningwhether to deliver to the body part of the individual a dosage of asubstance for treating motion sickness, the substance stored in thesubstance delivery system based on: the first determination; and asecond determination indicative of whether delivering the dosagesatisfies a time requirement of a dosage policy, the time requirementcomprising a minimum amount of time required between consecutivedeliveries of the dosage, wherein the minimum amount of time is based atleast in part on an amount of the substance that will lessen aneffectiveness of the substance when delivered to the individual; andresponsive to determining whether to deliver the dosage, initiating, bythe substance delivery system, delivery of the dosage of the substanceto the body part of the individual according to the dosage policy. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the input signal is generated responsiveto detecting user input applied to a user interface of the substancedelivery system or is generated by a motion sensor of the substancedelivery system that facilitates detection of movements that cause theindividual to experience motion sickness.
 15. The method of claim 13,further comprising adjusting, by the substance delivery system, thedosage responsive to receiving user input indicating whether a parameterassociated with a biological condition of the individual has beenreduced from a first level to a second level by the dosage.
 16. Asystem, comprising: a processor; and a memory that stores executableinstructions that, when executed by the process, facilitate performanceof operations, comprising: receiving a signal from a device coupled to abody part of an individual, wherein the signal is indicative of a firstdetermination that an environmental condition measurement has beensensed by a sensing device; determining whether to deliver to the bodypart of the individual a dosage of a substance for treating motionsickness, the substance stored in the substance delivery system basedon: the first determination; and a second determination indicative ofwhether delivering the dosage exceeds a time requirement associated witha dosage threshold, the time requirement comprising a minimum amount oftime required between consecutive deliveries of the dosage, wherein theminimum amount of time is based at least in part on an amount of thesubstance that will lessen an effectiveness of the substance whendelivered to the individual; and responsive to determining whether todeliver the dosage, directing the device to initiate delivery of thedosage of the substance to the body part of the individual.
 17. Thesystem of claim 16, wherein the signal is generated responsive todetecting user input applied to a user interface of the device.
 18. Thesystem of claim 16, wherein the environmental condition measurement isindicative of motion experienced by the individual, or particulates inair breathable by the individual.
 19. The system of claim 16, whereinthe environmental condition measurement is indicative of a location ofthe individual and an indication, by motion detected by the device, thatthe individual is traveling in an automobile, wherein directing thedevice to initiate delivery of the dosage is based at least in part onthe location of the individual and the indication that the individual istraveling in the automobile.
 20. The system of claim 16, wherein theminimum amount of time is further determined based on an amount of thesubstance associated with an overdose condition, or an expected durationof relief that the dosage will provide the individual.